Five years, 40,000 kids and three pro cricketers – now Ace programme has bigger ambitions

Maybe you missed Warwickshire’s one-day cup game against Sussex in the dog days of August. It was a group fixture between two mid-table teams in a competition no one pays a lot of attention to. But despite it all, the match marked a significant little milestone in the modern history of English cricket. Because Sussex gave a debut to a 21-year-old from Hemel Hempstead called Troy Henry, the very first male player to come up into professional cricket through the Ace programme. Henry had turned up for the very first trial Ace held, back when he was a teenage left-arm quick who dreamed of playing pro cricket and needed help to do it

Eve Muirhead: ‘People think I’m a steely-eyed competitor but we’re all human’

When Eve Muirhead led the Great Britain women’s curlers to Winter Olympic gold in 2022, the Guardian hailed her as the “Iron Lady” because she appeared indestructible.It didn’t matter that she had failed initially to qualify for the Games. Or that she had Covid before the last-ditch tournament that finally secured their place. Or that Team GB’s women lost four of their opening eight matches in Beijing – and were 4-0 down against Sweden in the semi-finals. Somehow she always found a way

State of the Nations: form guide for November rugby internationals

The southern hemisphere big guns have touched down in Europe for the Autumn Nations Series and there is much to look forward to over the next five weekendsWorld ranking 6Perhaps the most frustrating side on the international circuit, capable of imperious and infuriating performances in equal measure. Their inconsistency is best summed up with a Rugby Championship campaign in which they lost their first match to New Zealand and Australia before winning the second. And they might have made it three in a row if their “home” fixture against South Africa had not been at Twickenham. Still, when they are on song they have a back row and a backline to die for.Travel is no longer a problem given almost all their frontline players are based in England or France and two wins from matches against Wales, Scotland and England would represent progress in so far as demonstrating that they can bring their ability to win on the road to the northern hemisphere

New Zealand beat England by five wickets in second men’s cricket one-day international – as it happened

Simon Burnton’s report:So, once again, England lose in New Zealand before most of their fans back home have even woken up, skittled cheaply for a second game in a row against a New Zealand who remain a serious ODI force, particularly at home, and for whom Blair Tickner was excellent on his return to the side.Not a serious ODI force, at present, are England, who for all their occasional record-breaking fireworks are struggling to pace an innings with the bat and to excel consistently. Probably because they don’t play 50-over cricket consistently. To think that a decade ago this was the form of the game English men’s cricket prioritised.Anyway, Simon Burnton’s report from Hamilton will be up shortly and then English women’s cricket is in the spotlight next, with the big World Cup semi-final against South Africa

Australian women’s cricketers exceed $1m in earnings – with more riches on the horizon

Five of Australia’s all-conquering team set for a showdown against hosts India in the women’s cricket World Cup semi-final on Thursday have surged through the threshold of $1m annual earnings, as the growing financial opportunities in the global game approach and even exceed the value of Cricket Australia contracts.That group might soon expand too, given an Indian Women’s Premier League “mega auction” is scheduled for November. The Australians – who have won three of the past four world T20 titles and are defending 50-over champions – are set to attract significant interest from the five franchises, each of which have approximately $2.6m to spend for the month-long tournament.Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Paul Marsh said he expected women’s salaries to continue to grow

Guerrero homers off Ohtani as Blue Jays see off Dodgers to level World Series

Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.ScheduleBest-of-seven series. All times Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4). Fri 24 Oct Game 1: Toronto Blue Jays 11, LA Dodgers 4Sat 25 Oct Game 2: LA Dodgers 5, Toronto Blue Jays 1Mon 27 Oct Game 3: LA Dodgers 6, Toronto Blue Jays 5 (18 innings)Tue 28 Oct Game 4: Toronto Blue Jays 6, LA Dodgers 2Wed 29 Oct Game 5: Toronto Blue Jays at LA Dodgers, 8pmFri 31 Oct Game 6: LA Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays, 8pmSat 1 Nov Game 7: LA Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays, 8pm**if necessaryHow to watch• In the US, all games will be broadcast on FOX