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FAWGareth VincentBBC Sport Wales3 hours agoWorld Cup qualifier: Wales v LiechtensteinVenue: Cardiff City Stadium Date: Friday, 6 June Kick off: 19:45 BSTCoverage: Live on BBC One Wales, S4C, iPlayer, BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, the BBC Sport website and app, plus live text commentary.David Brooks took the plaudits when Wales players were last together in March after scoring the 96th-minute equaliser in North Macedonia which preserved Craig Bellamy’s unbeaten record as head coach.There were more congratulations for Brooks when the Wales squad reconvened for World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Belgium this week, but for entirely different reasons.Brooks and wife Flora revealed on social media earlier this week that they are to become parents, with their baby due on 1 November.For Brooks, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2021, the news is especially joyous given that there were questions about whether this time would ever come.”I always wanted to start a family. My wife and I wanted kids at some point,” the 27-year-old says.”Obviously when I was diagnosed, you have those conversations and there were never any guarantees that I would be able to have children in the future. There was a chance it wouldn’t have been possible.”But I was really lucky that it came naturally. After my treatment things went back to normal, so of course I was really happy. There were a few tears, but we are really looking forward to it.”Brooks was 24 when he was diagnosed with Stage Two Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2021.There were “dark times” for the attacking midfielder but, after several months of chemotherapy, he was declared cancer free in May 2022.He returned to first-team football with Bournemouth in March 2023 and was back in the Wales squad that summer.A senior figureFAWTwo years on, Brooks acknowledges that he is now one of Wales’ “more senior lads”.Joe Allen’s retirement means another of the nation’s greats has gone, while captain Aaron Ramsey is again missing from this camp due to injury.Brooks, who has 33 caps, says he relishes the responsibility that comes with being one of the more experienced players in a squad which is rebuilding having lost the likes of Allen, Chris Gunter and Gareth Bale since the 2022 World Cup.”Bale is probably the best British player of all time and Joe Allen has been one of the best Welsh players of all time,” he adds”They are obviously are a big miss, but there’s a lot of young talent coming through and there are a lot of lads, including myself, who have been waiting for an opportunity to showcase ourselves.”This is probably the first campaign we have had without them. We are all looking as a collective to try to move forward instead of it being about the special individual. I think we are doing a good job.”‘It felt like a big goal’FAWWales will expect to make it nine games without defeat since Bellamy took charge when the minnows of Liechtenstein visit the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday.But a sterner challenge awaits in Brussels next Monday, when Wales tackle Group J’s top seeds Belgium.The unbeaten record looked set to go during the previous international camp, when North Macedonia went ahead in added time in Skopje only for Brooks to prod home his fifth international goal with almost the last kick of the game.”It was not one of my best but as long as it trickles over the line, I am not too fussed,” he says.”If felt like a big goal in North Macedonia and it makes the table looks a lot better for us.”Wales are second as things stand, behind North Macedonia on goal difference, although Belgium are yet to play a game in the group.The Red Devils go to North Macedonia on Friday before returning home to meet Wales.In years gone by, Wales may have viewed a trip to a heavyweight nation like Belgium with some trepidation, as a fixture where a draw would be a superb result.But under Bellamy, who rejects the notion of his side being underdogs, Wales will travel with expectation rather than mere hope.Brooks echoes team-mates by describing Bellamy’s approach as “intense” – but says Wales’ players are hungry to deliver for their boss.”He is obviously a very, very passionate guy, especially about Wales, and that can’t be a negative,” Brooks adds.”We want to play well for him and play in his system. We have had a good base, going unbeaten so far, and now we are looking to build on that and become more of a threat and minimising our risk of conceding goals.”I feel like we are on a good journey.”Related topicsBelgiumWelsh FootballWales Men’s Football TeamBournemouthFootball

Getty ImagesStephan ShemiltChief Cricket Reporter4 hours agoEngland are hopeful Sophie Ecclestone will be fit for this summer’s series against India despite the spinner suffering a new injury.Ecclestone was withdrawn from Lancashire’s T20 defeat by Hampshire on Tuesday because of a quad problem.The severity of the injury will be assessed in the coming days.The 26-year-old had already been left out of the ongoing series against West Indies as part of her recovery from a knee injury.England insisted Ecclestone’s omission from the squad, the first chosen by head coach Charlotte Edwards, 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 Alex Hartley, following the former spinner’s criticism of England’s fitness.Ecclestone, England’s leading bowler, actually made her return for Lancashire at Warwickshire on the day she was left out by England.She had previously spent almost two months on the sidelines after playing for UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League.Ecclestone has since played two one-dayers and six T20s for Lancashire, including two in a day in a starring role for the Red Rose as they won the Twenty20 Cup last month.In Ecclestone’s absence, England have outclassed West Indies across the 20-over and 50-over formats. Fellow left-arm spinner Linsey Smith marked her ODI debut with a five-wicket haul in Derby last week.The series against a powerful India side, including five T20s and three ODIs, begins on 28 June.Related topicsEngland Women’s Cricket TeamCricket

Getty ImagesGary RoseBBC Sport journalist49 minutes agoOut of sight, out of mind.That is what many thought about Ivan Toney and his chances of being called up to the England squad after he made the move to Saudi Arabia last summer.But Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel sprang a surprise by naming the Al-Ahli striker in his squad for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra and Tuesday’s friendly against Senegal.Tuchel justified his decision by citing Toney’s impressive scoring record in Saudi Arabia – he has scored 30 in 44 games in all competitions. “He deserves to be with us and I am convinced because he scored over 20 goals for his team this season,” the German coach said. “He won a major title with the Asian Champions League, he had a big contribution with goals and assists.”Talking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Toney insisted he never thought his England career was over.”No, I never think negative, I always think positive, no matter the situation on and off the pitch.”I mean if you are scoring and playing well, obviously you are still going to be in the manager’s mind.”The manager recognised that and hence why I got the recall, which is obviously the best feeling.”A player in form, but from a poor league?ReutersThere have, of course, been many high-profile footballers who have made the move to Saudi Arabia in recent years.Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is perhaps the most famous of them, but there’s also been Neymar, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez, who continued to be selected by their respective national teams after making the moves.Indeed, Toney could come up against his Al-Ahli team-mate Edouard Mendy when England play Senegal next week.Looking through the list of squads there are plenty of recognisable names playing in the Saudi Pro League but, despite that, the overall standard of the league is perceived as quite low.In Opta’s most recent Power Rankings the Saudi Pro League was ranked as just the 29th-strongest in the world, just behind the Ecuador Liga Pro.”Toney has referenced it himself publicly that he has been very surprised by the standard for football in Saudi Arabia,” Gulf-based sports journalist John McAuley, who covers the Saudi Pro League, told BBC Sport.”It is a lot higher than he expected and obviously that is because of the influx of proper international players coming into the league now.”Saudi always had a very high standing in Asian football – Al-Hilal are the record four-time winners of the Asian Champions League. “The level of local players is still very good but when you think of the defenders Toney is up against, he is still playing against Aymeric Laporte at Al-Nassr, Kalidou Koulibaly at Al-Hilal, Danilo Pereira, who came from PSG to Al-Ittihad – so he is still playing against European standard players.”Regardless of the perception of the league he is playing in, there’s no doubt Toney arrived at this England camp as a player in form, having enjoyed a brilliant scoring run in the second half of the season to help Al-Ahli become champions of Asia.”He ended up with a run of something like 19 goals in his last 19 league games, finishing two goals behind Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the Golden Boot,” McAuley added.”The huge thing, and something that really integrated him with the fans, is he played a key role in Al-Ahli winning the Asian Champions League Elite for the first time.””Making the transition, the first moving to Saudi, it was a big one,” Toney told 5 live.”Obviously, people are going to think ‘how is he going to cope and how is he going to be?’. As you can see from the stats, they speak for themselves.”It’s been a good season with winning a trophy also. It was a big thing for me, I haven’t won many trophies, but being part of that one was a big moment.”What information do we collect from this quiz?A career of ups and downsGetty ImagesToney is 29 and has certainly had an interesting and varied career to this point.Starting at Northampton, he rose through the leagues – scoring in all four of the top divisions in English football before settling at Brentford.It was at the Bees where he peaked, with 20 league goals in the 2022-23 season, to become one of the hottest properties in the Premier League.Toney has, however, been a bit of a late bloomer. He only established himself in the Premier League four years ago, and was 27 years old when he won his first England cap. In comparison, Harry Kane had 46 caps by that stage – while Wayne Rooney had 78.His career has also been marked with controversy – in May 2023 he was banned from playing for eight months for 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules.Last summer he was included in the England squad for Euro 2024 and played in the final against Spain, before opting to join Al-Ahli in August for £40m.The wages offered will no doubt have played a big role in Toney’s decision, with it reported that the four-year-deal with the Saudi side would earn him £400,000 per week after tax. A huge rise on the £50,000-a-week he was on at Brentford.Given Toney was in his late twenties when he reached the top of the game, a desire to significantly safeguard his financial future seems understandable.But the striker has been insistent that a desire for new experiences also motivated him.”I wanted something a bit different,” he told FourFourTwo in December.”It’s a different culture, but I can blend in anywhere. I’ve been at Peterborough, Brentford, now out of the UK. “I’m excited to be on this journey. I believe it’s the right move at this stage of my career.”The ‘natural fit’ who might offer an edge for 2026 World CupGetty ImagesTuchel was keen to stress that Toney’s England call-up was as much about him getting a close-up look at the player, having not had the opportunity to go see him play in Saudi Arabia.The former Chelsea boss has underlined the importance of a player’s personality and how they are in a training camp, as well as having players in the group who have won things – having talked up Toney’s Asian Champions League success.But aside from that he does offer Tuchel a good option in attack.”Of course, yes I have been in the plans before and I just have to keep amongst it, keep scoring goals and keep playing well,” said Toney.”There are a lot of great players and great strikers that are in and around the mix, but I have to focus on myself and hopefully I can stay amongst it now and get myself to the World Cup.””Toney is the most natural fit if Kane is injured. He is the most similar in terms of profile,” says BBC Sport’s senior football reporter Alex Howell.”When you see Ollie Watkins play it does really change the way England play – wingers are looking for him, the number 10s want to connect with the striker, but Watkins is always looking the other way – Toney wants to be that focal point.”Another consideration Tuchel may have made is that by the time the 2026 World Cup comes round, playing in the heat and humidity of Saudi Arabia will ensure Toney is accustomed to the conditions anticipated in North America.”The start and end of the season it is boiling in Jeddah, and it has the humidity as well, and that will certainly stand him in good stead for next year,” added McAuley.All eyes will now be on these next two games for England and how big a role Toney plays in them under Tuchel.Related topicsFootballEngland Men’s Football Team

Getty ImagesNizaar KinsellaBBC Sport football news reporter30 May 2025Updated 6 hours agoChampions League football; the chance to play alongside Cole Palmer; the youngest squad in the Premier League. They were three of the reasons that helped Chelsea win the race to sign Liam Delap.Manchester United, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle all showed strong interest in the England Under-21 striker after a £30m release clause was activated following Ipswich’s relegation from the Premier League.Manchester City had a buy-back option after selling Delap for £20m last summer, but opted not to use it.Earlier this month, Delap was given permission by Ipswich to speak to several interested clubs.Over the past week it became evident the choice was between Manchester United and Chelsea, but the Blues’ final-day victory over Nottingham Forest – which confirmed Champions League qualification – proved a deciding factor.Interested parties were told a week ago that the 22-year-old had made his decision, and he was spotted at Stansted Airport that evening before a medical.He is now likely join up with his new club for the inaugural summer Club World Cup – instead of play for England at the European Under-21 Championship.Delap has been a key target for Chelsea all season and it is understood co-owner Behdad Eghbali met David Manasseh, the player’s key agent, in Dubai. Eghbali even expressed his fondness for the player to Chelsea fans in Wroclaw before the Conference League final.Head coach Enzo Maresca also pitched directly to Delap – as did at least one other manager – in face-to-face talks once Ipswich granted permission. Getty ImagesDelap has been impressed with Chelsea’s style of play and feels the club will be a good fit. He was also urged to make the move by several former City academy graduates he will join at Stamford Bridge – such as Jadon Sancho, Romeo Lavia, Tosin Adarabioyo and Palmer.Maresca worked with Delap in City’s elite development squad, while Chelsea’s key recruiter Joe Shields is also known to have a good relationship with the player and his family, and academy director Glenn van der Kraan is one of several other connections between the two Premier League clubs.Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna also retains good relations with the Chelsea hierarchy after being interviewed for their manager’s job last summer.And he will hope that helps in a potential move for striker Marc Guiu, who interests Ipswich as a loan replacement for Delap.The 19-year-old Spaniard scored six goals in 14 appearances for Chelsea this season but has missed most of 2025 with a muscle injury. He returned as a late substitute during the Conference League final in Wroclaw.What next for Man Utd?Simon StoneChief football news reporterAs ever with these situations, Manchester United can draw a positive out of a negative.They felt earlier last week it was coming towards the end game in their pursuit of Delap, and it was between them and Chelsea. Now they know they have lost out.The positive is, with the decision made, they can move on. That is in stark contrast to 2022, when then manager Erik ten Hag delayed for months in a fruitless attempt to sign Frenkie de Jong and United ended up panicking at the end of the transfer window and spent £150m on Casemiro and Antony.But that does not answer the pertinent question: who now?Delap fitted their template of an improving, hungry young player, with scope to reach a high standard – at a set fee.Rasmus Hojlund – who is four days younger than Delap – fitted the same criteria, apart from the last one. And it has not worked out.Nothing I have seen on their post-season trip to Asia makes me feel United have the answer to their goalscoring issues within the club. In fact, it is quite the opposite.The ‘safe’ but expensive options are Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta. But Mateta is 27 and Mbeumo will be at the Africa Cup of Nations for a month with Cameroon.After that, it is a risk.Former United striker Danny Welbeck scored 10 goals in the Premier League at the age of 34. Is there any merit in bringing him back and taking some of the pressure off Hojlund – or has Ruben Amorim concluded the 22-year-old Denmark international will never be good enough?If so, it is back to Europe to sign another promising forward with no guarantee it will work.Moyes and Everton impressedNewcastle, Nottingham Forest and Everton also showed interest in Delap.It is understood the pitch by Everton and Moyes made a positive impression on Delap, but the club always understood they were underdogs.Before the penultimate fixture of the season against Ipswich at Goodison Park, Moyes said: “We would certainly be interested if he was interested in us.”After the game, Everton fans did their best to persuade Delap to join them at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium – despite a hostile reception following run-ins with Jake O’Brien and Jarrad Branthwaite.Supporters urged him to move to Merseyside as he visited 37 Goodison Road – a house across from the stadium which has a wall featuring footballers’ signatures.Ultimately, though, the lure of Champions League football means he plumped for Chelsea.Related topicsChelseaPremier LeagueFootball TransfersFootballIpswich Town

Reuters7 minutes ago27 CommentsChelsea have completed the signing of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap for a £30m fee.The Blues met a release clause in the 22-year-old’s contract that was activated following Ipswich’s relegation from the Premier League.Enzo Maresca’s side saw off competition from Manchester United, Newcastle United and Everton for the England Under-21 international.Delap scored 12 goals in 37 top-flight appearances last term.More to follow.More to follow.Related topicsChelseaPremier LeagueFootballIpswich Town

Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont helps England to an emphatic 143-run win over West Indies in the second One Day International in Leicester and a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.MATCH REPORT: England vs West Indies – second ODIAvailable to UK users only.

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFfion WynneBBC Sport Journalist4 June 2025111 CommentsSecond ODI, LeicesterEngland 366-6 (50 overs): Jones 129 (98), Beaumont 106 (109)West Indies 223 (45.4 overs): Grimmond 53 (72); Capsey 3-41England won by 143 runs; go 2-0 up in three-match seriesScorecardOpeners Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont hit their second successive centuries as England hammered West Indies by 143 runs in the second one-day international in Leicester.Jones, whose hundred in Derby on Friday was her first in international cricket, made a sublime 129 from 98 balls having been dropped on 43, while Beaumont struck 106 in England’s imposing 366-6. The pair added 202 in 29.2 overs, following their stand of 222 in the opener, before Emma Lamb’s 55 and Sophia Dunkley’s 31 from 19 balls capped another utterly dominant batting performance. In a contest made even more one-sided by the absence of Windies skipper Hayley Matthews because of a shoulder injury, the tourists trudged to 223 all out in 45.4 overs in reply.Opener Realeanna Grimmond made a spirited 53 from 72 balls with two sixes on her ODI debut, and Jannillea Glasgow added an entertaining 44 from 24, but the eventual result was a foregone conclusion, such is the gulf between the sides.Alice Capsey finished with 3-41, while Linsey Smith and Lauren Filer also took two wickets each, but England’s bowling attack lacked threat in the middle overs as they struggled to create breakthroughs from West Indies’ lack of attacking intent.The win also secures a comprehensive ODI series win for England under the new leadership of Nat Sciver-Brunt and Charlotte Edwards, with the third and final match taking place at Taunton on Saturday after the hosts also swept the T20s 3-0. Ruthless England punish sloppy WindiesTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedEdwards’ decision to reinstate Jones at the top of the order initially raised a few eyebrows, but it has proved to be a masterstroke.She whacked two fours in the opening over off Zaida James and did not look back. The roles were reversed from their previous partnership, with Jones hitting the accelerator throughout while Beaumont eased through the gears with a little more caution.There were signs of nerves when Jones reached the 90s at Derby, with dropped chances on 91 and 92, but here she oozed confidence from the minute she walked to the middle.The century came from just 76 balls – England’s joint-third fastest in women’s ODIs – with Beaumont’s fifty coming from 64, before she kicked on to reach three figures from 106 balls with a six sent sailing over long-on.It was the first time an opening pair has hit back-to-back hundreds in the history of the format – men’s and women’s – and the hosts relentlessly punished West Indies’ inexperienced bowling attack which struggled to build any consistency or dot ball pressure throughout.The bowling skewed both sides of the wicket in the first 10 overs which allowed their flying start, and Jones’ chance should have been taken by Grimmond at cover.Both openers were eventually dismissed by spinner Karishma Ramharack but they had set a platform which ensured England had their record total of 378 in their sights, until Grimmond provided the tourists’ highlight in the field with a spectacular one-handed catch to dismiss Lamb as England were accelerating into the final five overs.Despite the confidence that will come from posting scores of 346 and 366 in consecutive games, there will certainly be tougher tests to come for England’s new opening pair and for number three Lamb, who made a 41-ball fifty. The first of those comes with India’s arrival later this month, which will provide a much clearer indication of the team’s batting approach under Edwards and how they deal with pressure.To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedEngland’s bowlers toil through frustrationTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedThe situation felt ominous for West Indies from the moment Matthews’ omission was announced at the toss, exemplified by the sight of her circling the boundary at Leicester, bundled in a coat and bobble hat with her arm in a sling, chatting to the fielders in what was likely an attempt to provide much-needed encouragement or advice.While their bowling effort did little to ease the concern, the hopes for their batting effort were virtually non-existent with her explosive opening partner Qiana Joseph also absent and the experienced duo of Deandra Dottin and Chinelle Henry missing the tour altogether.Grimmond stepped up admirably as a rare bright spark, in particular playing the short ball brilliantly as she whacked Lauren Bell for two mighty sixes over the leg side, while Glasgow struck nine fours in her cameo – but there was little else for England to genuinely judge their bowling on.England did not bowl badly, but considering their superiority in all aspects, they should have bowled West Indies out despite them barely playing a shot in anger from around the halfway mark.Filer bowled with lively pace, clocking up to 77mph, and could be forgiven for being a little wayward after returning from injury. When she was on target, she unsettled the batters and ripped through the defences of Jahzara Claxton for 18 and Afy Fletcher for eight in the space of one over which put England on the brink of victory.Smith’s consistency and Capsey’s useful part-time off-spin have given plenty for Edwards to consider once Sophie Ecclestone returns to fitness, but again, with the greater challenge of India looming, England will have to think more creatively during the middle overs where breaking partnerships becomes trickier.’The future is bright’ – reactionTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedWest Indies captain Shemaine Campbelle: “It’s good to see the young players going out there playing today and playing a positive brand of cricket, that was a plus for us. “Going into it, we wanted to bowl into good areas. We struggled to do that and unfortunately it didn’t go the way that we wanted.”Player of the match Amy Jones: “It’s quite funny how it’s worked out, after a good number of games. I loved today, it’s been cool to be in a big partnership with Tammy Beaumont.”Opening’s not that easy, you have to ride your luck. I did that today, but I’m pleased to pile the runs on with her.”Former England spinner Alex Hartley on BBC Test Match Special: “It’s refreshing to see that the future is bright and that there is competition for the spots. “There was a time when you knew who was going to be playing every game. Now, it could change every time.”Related topicsEngland Women’s Cricket TeamCricket