PA Media27 minutes agoStephen Bunting beat fellow Englishman Rob Cross 8-4 in the final of the Nordic Masters in Denmark to claim his second World Series title of the year. In a race to eight legs, the two were tied at 3-3 at the break before Bunting hit double top and broke the throw after Cross failed to take out 40 in the seventh leg.Bunting produced a 104 finish to go 5-3 up and continued his run to five straight legs to move four clear at 7-3 and one away from victory against a struggling Cross.Bunting missed bull as he nearly finished with a 170 but he secured victory by cleaning up the remaining 25 on his next visit.”The way I’ve been playing, I was wondering if I was going to win another title again,” Bunting, who won the Bahrain Masters in January, told ITV. “My doubles have been atrocious over the last couple of months. It’s something I need to work on. “But, when you win titles like this against the calibre of players that I’m playing week-in week-out, it means an awful lot.”Luke Littler and Luke Humphries had both been knocked out in the quarter-finals.World champion Littler suffered a 6-3 loss to Nathan Aspinall, who was beaten 7-5 by Bunting in the semi-finals.Defending champion Gerwyn Price won 6-3 to end the challenge of world number one Humphries but the Welshman lost 7-4 to Cross in the last four.Related topicsDarts

Getty ImagesAlex HowellBBC Sport football news reporter in Barcelona4 minutes agoCommentsThomas Tuchel criticised England’s “attitude” and felt they “played with fire” in a narrow 1-0 World Cup qualifying win away to Andorra.The Three Lions laboured against the world’s 173rd-ranked side in Barcelona, squeezing out a third successive win through captain Harry Kane’s 50th-minute strike to top Group K.Tuchel’s men were jeered off the pitch at half-time and again at the end, leaving the England manager “not happy” with the disappointing display.”I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I did not like the attitude that we ended the game with,” said the German.”I didn’t like the lack of urgency and it did not match the occasion – it is still a World Cup qualifier. We will let them know [on Sunday] what we want from them.”I think we lacked the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier.”I think we played with fire. I didn’t like the attitude in the end. I didn’t like the body language. It was not what the occasion needed.”England dominated the ball with 83 per cent possession, but frustratingly could not break down Andorra’s well-organised defence and were mainly restricted to efforts from distance.Kane slid home the winner from a Noni Madueke cross for his 72nd international goal, but the Three Lions had few clear-cut chances.England next face Senegal in a friendly at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on Tuesday and Tuchel expects a better performance.”I think we started well in the first 20 or 25 minutes,” he added. “We created a lot of chances and half chances, and we lost completely the momentum and couldn’t get it back in the first half.”Got a little bit [back] in the second half, but then ended up in a place that was not good enough in terms of urgency.”We can just admit that, it’s not what we expect from us. We need to look at it in detail and do better on Tuesday.”‘They looked bored’ – why were England below par?There were some mitigating circumstances for England’s lethargic display.The match came at the end of a long domestic campaign for many of the players and was also played in hot and humid conditions in Barcelona – this fixture played there because Andorra’s national stadium was unavailable after the recent Games of the Small States of Europe.But those watching clearly expected England to put in a more convincing performance against a side they had beaten six times previously by an aggregate score of 25-0.”It looked like some of the players were bored in the last half an hour,” former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane told ITV.”Go and get some more goals and impress the manager who is still new to the job.”Ex-England defender Lee Dixon added: “They will be getting pelters no doubt about that. “When you are fourth [in the rankings] and they are 173rd you expect to beat them handsomely, but that wasn’t the case.”Former Manchester City midfielder Michael Brown agreed the performance was poor, but the priority was to get the job done in the bid for qualification to next year’s finals.”It was a big disappointment but they did the job and won the game,” he said on BBC Radio 5 Live.”It could have been a lot more convincing in attacking positions. There is going to be criticism because of the team we were up against, but it is job done, move on to the next one.”Henderson start was ‘well deserved’Getty ImagesTuchel made five changes from the England team that beat Latvia 3-0 at Wembley in March and played Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones at right-back and Reece James at left-back as he tried to make the most of England’s control of the ball.And the 51-year-old handed a surprise start to Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson, his first for his country since 17 November, 2023.Declan Rice, one of England’s key players came off the bench in the 81st minute as Tuchel used the match to have a look at options within his squad. “Declan [Rice] looked a little bit out of rhythm and I think Jordan [Henderson] deserved to play.” said the England boss. “And also for what Jordan brings to this group, well deserved.”We started well and then lost the rhythm and precision and also the energy to be more decisive and score more goals.”It is necessary that we look at it and then present in detail to the players what we don’t like, what we want to do better and what are the standards.”‘Dangerous’ Madueke takes chance to shine Getty ImagesChelsea winger Madueke has had a bright start to his England career.The 23-year-old registered an assist on his Three Lions debut against Finland last September, and his pass for Kane’s winner was his third in six international appearances.England tried to use his pace to get behind the Andorra defence and Madueke was constantly positive on the ball, repeatedly trying to beat his man.He created the most chances with four, and also had the most touches in the opposition box of any player (12).”He was, over the course of the match, the most dangerous. I could feel his hunger to do what was the plan throughout the whole of the match.” said Tuchel.”The message got across because we had a good 25 minutes, but then the energy and the determination weren’t there anymore. Then it looks like it does.”Madueke started the match on the left wing to give England width, the opposite side to where he usually plays for Chelsea.His display could give him a chance of making the position his own as no-one in the England squad has regularly been able to shine in that spot.Related topicsFootballEngland Men’s Football Team

Getty ImagesJonathan JurejkoBBC Sport tennis news reporter at Roland Garros7 June 2025, 17:07 BST454 CommentsUpdated 50 minutes agoCoco Gauff won the first French Open singles title of her career by fighting back to beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a rollercoaster final.American second seed Gauff claimed a 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 victory after a tense battle between the WTA Tour’s two leading players in testing conditions.It is the second Grand Slam singles triumph of Gauff’s career, adding to the US Open title she won in 2023, also by beating Belarus’ Sabalenka.”I think this [Grand Slam] win was harder than the first because you don’t want to get satisfied with just that one,” said 21-year-old Gauff.Gauff recovered from a difficult start where she trailed by a double break, eventually finding her rhythm and benefiting from a huge number of mistakes from 27-year-old Sabalenka.”This hurts so much. Congratulations to Coco – she was a better player than me,” said Sabalenka, who was also bidding for her first Roland Garros title.A stiff breeze played havoc with serve in the opening two sets, leading to the pair exchanging 12 breaks in an entertaining if not high-quality affair.Gauff, who lost in the 2022 final, settled quicker in the deciding third set to move a break up and kept her nerve to serve out victory.She had to survive another break point before winning her second championship point, falling to the clay on her back when Sabalenka pushed a forehand wide.With her parents Candi and Corey dancing euphorically in the stands, Gauff shared an affectionate hug with Sabalenka before running off court to celebrate with her family.From tears of pain to tears of joy – Gauff’s redemptionGauff’s previous appearance in the French Open singles showpiece, when she was still a teenager, ended in her covering her head with a towel as she sobbed on her chair.It was the defining image of her defeat by Iga Swiatek, but she vowed to come back stronger – and she has.”I was going through a lot of things when I lost here three years ago,” Gauff said.”I’m just glad to be back here. I was going through a lot of dark thoughts.”Three years on, Gauff returned to the final as a Grand Slam champion, having fulfilled the potential promised by winning in New York.A productive clay-court swing, taking her to the Madrid and Rome finals, meant she arrived in Paris considered a sounder bet than defending champion Swiatek.”Three finals… I guess I got the most important win – that’s all that matters,” said Gauff.Only Sabalenka, who beat her to the Madrid title, had performed better and it was therefore unsurprising the top two seeds met again with the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen at stake.The tricky conditions met neither woman was able to play their best tennis, but Gauff showed indefatigable spirit and will to win.Like in 2022 after her defeat by Poland’s Iga Swiatek, there were more tears for Gauff – this time, ones of joy.Getty ImagesSabalenka falls short in clay questThe consistency of Sabalenka across all surfaces over the past three years has been unparalleled.After excelling on hard courts, she has developed her game to become a force on clay and grass.By reaching the Paris last eight, Sabalenka was the first player to reach the quarter-finals at 10 consecutive Grand Slams since American great Serena Williams in 2017.But she fell agonisingly short of landing her first major on the slower clay surface.All three of her previous major triumphs came on the quicker hard courts at the Australian Open and US Open.After collecting her runners-up prize, Sabalenka fought back tears and apologised to her team for “playing a terrible final”.Like in her semi-final win over defending champion Swiatek, Sabalenka started aggressively and confidently to move a double break ahead.She was a point away from a 5-1 lead but her dominance quickly disappeared as Gauff fought back.Despite recovering from 5-3 down in the tie-break, Sabalenka continued to be animated and regularly chastised herself.It meant she was unable to stem the flow of mistakes from her racquet, with a huge total of 70 unforced errors illustrating her difficulties.Related topicsTennis

Getty ImagesFfion WynneBBC Sport journalist at Taunton7 June 2025, 12:12 BSTUpdated 29 minutes agoEngland spinner Sophie Ecclestone will take a break from domestic cricket as she manages a quad injury and to “prioritise her wellbeing”. Ecclestone, 26, was left out of England’s first squad under new coach Charlotte Edwards because she was recovering from a knee injury. She played for the UP Warriorz in India’s Women’s Premier League in February but was sidelined for two months and missed the beginning of Lancashire’s domestic season. The left-arm spinner has since played two one-day matches and six T20s for her county, but was withdrawn from their match against Hampshire on Tuesday because of the quad problem. At this stage, Ecclestone, who is the number one-ranked ODI bowler in the world, remains available for England’s white-ball series against India, which begins on 28 June at Trent Bridge. In the statement announcing the break Edwards said England were “totally behind” the decision and “want to be able to select” Ecclestone for the India series. Speaking after their win over West Indies in the third ODI, Edwards added: “We’ve been in constant communication over the last couple of months. Soph’s had a really tough six months in many ways, the Ashes and then coming back and having that knee injury and not being quite ready for this series.”I’m almost certain she’ll be up for selection for the India series and both us just want Soph back in this team and in a really good place, really happy. I think hopefully this little break she’s going will help her do that. “She’s obviously one of the best spinners in the world. We’re going to have some selection headaches over the next week or so but what we wanted to create within this team is that people come in and perform. There’s been some wonderful performances. “We’ve got four of the best spinners in world cricket at moment, which we’re blessed to have, and going into a World Cup in India, who knows, we could be taking all four of them. Sophie’s going to be a massive part of that as well.”England insisted Ecclestone’s omission from the squad for the ongoing West Indies series was not related to the controversy that overshadowed an awful Ashes tour of Australia earlier this year. During England’s 16-0 series defeat Ecclestone refused to take part in a TV interview conducted by former team-mate Alex Hartley, following her criticism of England’s fitness during the T20 World Cup in November.England have comfortably beaten West Indies, winning both the one-day international and T20 series, but are expected to face a much greater challenge against India, who are also hosting the 50-over World Cup at the end of September. “Mental health is so important,” Hartley told BBC Test Match Special during the final ODI against West Indies at Taunton.”If she [Ecclestone] feels she needs a refresh and if she’s going to miss a series or a bit of domestic cricket, but it means she’s fit for the World Cup, ultimately that’s what we want.”Related topicsEngland Women’s Cricket TeamCricket

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFfion WynneBBC Sport journalist at Taunton7 June 2025, 18:40 BST13 CommentsUpdated 9 minutes agoThird women’s ODI, TauntonWest Indies 106-8 (21 overs): Joseph 34 (44); Glenn 3-21England 109-1 (10.5 overs): Sciver-Brunt 57* (33)England won by nine wickets (DLS method); win series 3-0 Scorecard England sealed a comprehensive one-day international series clean sweep over West Indies with a nine-wicket thrashing in a rain-affected encounter at Taunton.Set a target of just 106 in a match reduced to 21 overs per side, England cruised to victory in 10.5 overs with captain Nat Sciver-Brunt finishing unbeaten on 57 from 33 balls.Sophia Dunkley made 26 at the top of the order as England rejigged their batting line-up, while Alice Capsey finished unbeaten on 20 in another one-sided affair.West Indies, who were again without star all-rounder Hayley Matthews because of a shoulder injury, had slipped to 4-3 inside the first four overs after England chose to bowl first under gloomy skies. Stand-in captain Shemaine Campbelle and opener Qiana Joseph gradually rebuilt with a partnership of 39 before heavy rain led to a five-hour delay after 12.3 overs had been bowled. Campbelle fell to Charlie Dean from the first ball after the resumption as the tourists slumped further to 58-6, but they smacked 31 from the last two overs to post 106-8. Leg-spinner Sarah Glenn was the pick of England’s bowlers with 3-21, while seamer Em Arlott took 2-15.England also won the preceding T20 series 3-0, and their summer continues with three T20s and three ODIs against India, starting at Trent Bridge on 28 June.Poor West Indies batters wilt againTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedWithout Matthews, West Indies’ batting hopes were already bleak and in bowler-friendly conditions, England dominated as expected.With plenty of movement on offer from the surface, Kate Cross had Realeanna Grimmond caught behind in the first over as the 20-year-old was unable to back up her promising half-century on debut at Leicester on Thursday.Arlott bowled Zaida James with a full delivery in the second over, and pinned veteran batter Stafanie Taylor lbw for one in the fourth.Despite the rain looming, Campbelle and Joseph had to rebuild the innings at a 50-over tempo which left them needing to attack from the outset once play resumed.Instead, the wickets tumbled. Campbelle was stumped off Dean for 18, Shabika Gajnabi was bowled by Glenn for one and Jannillea Glasgow was caught at mid-on by Alice Davidson-Richards off Lauren Filer.Joseph’s 34 held the innings together but Aaliyah Alleyne whacked five consecutive fours from the penultimate over bowled by Filer to provide a late flurry, and Jahzara Claxton added 11 from four balls including an enormous six off Glenn to eventually push them past 100.Sciver-Brunt shines as England improviseTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedAfter two opening stands of more than 200 between Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont to start the series, England understandably wanted their other batters to spend some time in the middle, with the three upcoming ODIs against India being their last in the format before the World Cup, which starts in late September in India. Dunkley dominated the opening stand of 40 in five overs with her captain, scoring 26 from 21 balls before she was pinned lbw by spinner Karishma Ramharack.From there, Sciver-Brunt wanted the game done in a hurry as she took down the bowlers, clubbing the spinners efficiently down the ground as she struck nine fours in her destructive knock. Capsey made a quickfire 20 from 11 balls in their 69-run stand, as she attempted to strengthen her case for the ODI side in the absence of injured former captain Heather Knight.It would have been preferable for England’s batters to have either a more challenging total to chase or more overs to bat, but the upcoming India series is likely to provide a far greater test of their abilities and a chance for coach Charlotte Edwards to see how her side steps up under pressure. There was little West Indies could do with so few runs to defend, and would have been grateful for their miserable tour to come to an end more than 10 overs early. ‘People have created headaches’ – what they saidEngland captain Nat Sciver-Brunt: “A great way to finish the series, finish the way we wanted to. A happy group.”Everyone who’s been given the opportunity has put their hands up, it makes for some headaches for sure.”West Indies captain Shemaine Campbelle: “There are a lot of learnings that can come out of this series. The younger players have stepped up and they have made good use of it. There is a lot of improvement to come. It’s a work in progress and they will learn quickly from this.”Player of the series Amy Jones: “It has exceeded my expectation. A lot of fun batting at the top and it was good to get the last win.”I knew opening was an option, it was good to get games with the Blaze and batting with Tammy and happy to get a go at the top.”India have got some of the best bowlers in the world and I’d love to be up there.”Related topicsEngland Women’s Cricket TeamCricket

Getty ImagesClive LindsayBBC Sport Scotland23 minutes agoUnited Rugby Championship semi-final: Leinster v Glasgow WarriorsLeinster (25) 37Tries: Sheehan 2, Osborne 2, Clarkson, Frawley Con: Prendergast 2 Pen: PrendergastGlasgow Warriors (5) 19Tries: Horne, Dobie, Tuipulotu Con: Jordan 2 Six-try Leinster overpowered Glasgow Warriors to oust the reigning champions and cruise into their first United Rugby Championship final.The visitors responded to conceding a try to Dan Sheehan after only three minutes by scoring at the other end immediately through George Horne.But Leinster added three more of their own – through Jamie Osborne, Thomas Clarkson and Sheehan – by half-timeSecond-half tries from Osborne and Ciaran Frawley extinguished hopes of an unlikely comeback before consolations from Jamie Dobie and Sione Tuipulotu.It means Leinster, who had endured three straight URC semi-final defeats, head into next weekend’s final against either Bulls or Sharks still on course for a ninth title.The Irish side started as favourites after ending the regular season top of the table and having thrashed Warriors 52-0 in the Champions Cup quarter-final eight weeks ago.Leinster’s standards had dropped since their own defeat by Northampton in the European semis, with a shadow Glasgow side proving tougher opponents when going down 13-5 in the URC three weeks ago.The hosts, though, were immediately in the ascendency and Jamison Gibson-Park floated a pass for hooker Sheehan to exploit a gap and touch down under the posts.Sam Prendergast added the extras, but Glasgow responded instantly. Tuipulotu sent Kyle Rowe racing down the left wing and his kick inside sent Horne diving over the line unchallenged.The scrum-half missed a fairly simple conversion, but the try had Glasgow dreaming of a first win by a Scottish team – club or national – at the Aviva Stadium.However, despite Prendergast having one try ruled out for crossing, the Leinster fly-half was soon adding to the scoreline as the hosts were given a penalty in front of the posts.After a crunching tackle halted Glasgow’s Tom Jordan, Leinster exploited the space behind and Osborne raced through under the posts only for Gibson-Park’s pass to be ruled forward.Osborne did not have to wait long for his try, the centre racing down the left wing to touch down in the corner from James Lowe’s offload.Getty ImagesGlasgow were rocking now and Leinster were soon across the line again as prop Clarkson powered over despite the attentions of a clutch of Warriors off the back of a scrum.Sheehan added another try on the stroke of half-time, powering over behind a ruck following a line-out close to the line, to give the Irish side a 20-point advantage at the break.The gap would have been wider had Prendergast been more accurate with the boot, but with Glasgow pinned back in their own half after the restart, the fly-half made no mistake after Osborne dived over for his second try near the posts.Replacement fly-half Frawley added another try in the corner before weaving finishes from Dobie and Tuipulotu made the scoreline more respectable for the visitors.Leinster head coach Leo Cullen: “We reacted really well to Glasgow’s early score. I think we managed the game and the conditions very well.”It’s all about getting through no matter how we did it, but we made the right decisions throughout the game. We prepared well this week and we will do so again this week.”We will try to make the travel that one of the South African teams will have to make next week count.”Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith: “They are a quality outfit and brought a huge performance. I felt their urgency and they put pressure on us.”On the day, we were not good enough, especially in the first half. We should have started better and then we wouldn’t have had to chase the game. I don’t think the strategy was wrong, they are good at the aerial battle, but I am really proud. “We had a lot of boys unavailable this week. I must look at the big picture. It was a tough task to come here and win.”Leinster: Jimmy O’Brien; Tommy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Scott Penny, Jack Conan (capt).Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Ciaran Frawley.Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay; Kyle Steyn (capt), Sione Tuipulotu, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe; Adam Hastings, George Horne; Jamie Bhatti, George Hiddleston, Fin Richardson, Alex Samuel, Scott Cummings, Euan Ferrie, Rory Darge, Henco Venter.Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Rory Sutherland, Sam Talakai, Max Williamson, Jack Mann, Macenzzie Duncan, Stafford McDowall, Jamie Dobie.Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy​​).Related topicsGlasgow WarriorsScottish RugbyLeinsterRugby Union