CRICKET
Taiwan players eye Iceland
Three Taiwan-based players this week said that they were interested in an invitation to play in a T20 tournament in Iceland in July next year. Iceland Cricket on Tuesday wrote on social media that it was hoping to host Munich Cricket Club. “Unfortunately, they now cannot come, so we have a space for a touring team then,” the governing body said. It would be five T20 matches, one against each of Iceland’s domestic clubs, from July 4 to 6 in Reykjavik, it said. On the Taiwan Cricket Facebook page — which is not operated by the national cricket association — Chetan Pundora and Bivan Singh Waraich yesterday wrote: “I am in,” while Vishwajit Tawar posted a gif indicating that he was packed and ready to depart. All three are top performers in Taiwan. “Iceland itself is a fascinating land, a land of northern lights, and I am sure those lights will shine brighter above a cricket ground,” Pundora told the Taipei Times later in the day. “Let’s play cricket in beautiful Iceland and explore it together.” The national cricket association had not responded to a request for comment as of press time last night.
FOOTBALL
Bill Bergey dies aged 79
Bill Bergey, a five-time Pro Bowl linebacker who played in a Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles, died on Wednesday, the team announced. He was 79. His son, Jake, posted on social media that Bergey died of cancer. Bergey had been open about his fight with the disease over the past few years. Bergey, who was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2009, said he had a form of jaw cancer since 2021. “I didn’t give it the old: ‘Why me?’ or anything like that,” he said last year. “I just thought that I had to fight it just like I would fight anything else that I needed to fight.” Bergey was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1969 and made one Pro Bowl appearance for them before he was traded ahead of the 1974 season. Bergey’s career took off in Philadelphia and he became one of the more popular Eagles players in his era. He made the Pro Bowl in 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1978, and was named an All-Pro in 1974 and 1975. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie said Bergey “gained the respect of players and coaches across the league for his blue-collar work ethic and hard-nosed play. Bill exemplified what it meant to be an Eagle in every way, and proudly represented the team in the community well after his playing days were over.”
SOCCER
City at risk: Guardiola
Manchester City are at risk of missing out on next season’s UEFA Champions League due to their dip in form, manager Pep Guardiola said. City, who are looking to qualify for Europe’s top club competition for a 15th straight season, have won just one of their past eight Premier League games and are seventh, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool. Guardiola’s side are four points behind Nottingham Forest, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualification berth. “When I said before, people laughed. They said: ‘Qualifying for the Champions League is not a big success,’ but I know it because it happens with clubs in this country,” Guardiola said. “They were dominant for many years and after they were many years not qualifying for the Champions League. The one team that has been in the Champions League for the past years has been Manchester City. Now we are at risk.”
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
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