NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe is to have a closer look at Newcastle United’s rising star Elliot Anderson this summer.
The Magpies return to first-team training at the beginning of next month, looking to build on their 11th-placed Premier League finish from last season.
One player who did not play a part in that success but is looking for game time next season is Anderson. The young forward spent the second half of last season on loan to League Two Bristol Rovers — and his seven goals in 21 games helped to drive the Pirates from mid-table to automatic promotion to League One.
Howe has revealed he will consider the Geordie next month before deciding whether the 19-year-old will remain on Tyneside or be sent back out on loan, with a host of English Championship clubs eyeing the player, including Luton Town.
“We’ll certainly bring him back for pre-season and have a closer look at him, he’ll be involved in the pre-season games,” he said.
“We’ll make a decision then on whether or not he needs another loan or will stay with us.”
Howe had been critical of Newcastle loan manager Shola Ameobi’s decision to send Anderson to League Two for a loan spell, believing he should have been pitched to a club higher up the Football League pyramid. But he had to admit it had been a great experience for the lad.
Howe continued: “He was desperate to go and play and have that experience on loan. I’ve said many times, I didn’t necessarily want to pitch him to League Two, we felt he was better than that level but due to one reason or another, that’s the level he ended up at.
“He’s excelled. It’s very difficult as a young player to go out and really make a difference but he’s not just done that, he’s made an incredible difference to Bristol Rovers.
“It was a dramatic final day and full credit to Joey, his team and to Elliot. What an experience for him, one he’ll always remember I’m sure and something he’ll look back on fondly at the end of hopefully a very successful career.”
The head coach was asked about the prospect of meeting Newcastle’s bitter rivals Sunderland, who are now just one league below. The Magpies have not met their closest neighbors since the latter were relegated from the Premier League six years ago.
“That’s a difficult question,” he said. “I’d love to experience a derby at some point in the future. I’ve heard about the atmosphere of those games and I’d love to experience one. So, that’s what I’ll probably say.”
Eddie Howe keen to cast an eye over talented Newcastle United youngster Elliot Anderson
https://arab.news/6nkp9
Eddie Howe keen to cast an eye over talented Newcastle United youngster Elliot Anderson
- The 19-year-old helped Bristol Rovers to gain automatic promotion to League One during a loan spell last season
- Howe had been critical of Newcastle loan manager Shola Ameobi’s decision to send Anderson to League Two for a loan spell
ESL FACEIT Group opens broadcast hub in Saudi Arabia
- The hub in Riyadh will provide Arabic broadcasts for global esports events, including this week’s Overwatch Champions Series Dallas Major
RIYADH: Leading esports and video game entertainment company, ESL FACEIT Group, has announced the opening of a broadcast hub in Riyadh.
The move marks the growth of EFG’s regional footprint in one of the youngest and fastest-growing gaming communities in the world, making global premier esports events more accessible to Middle Eastern audiences.
The new hub, which will support the company’s ongoing growth in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and North Africa region, will provide Arabic broadcasts of EFG’s global esports events.
First up is the Overwatch Champions Series Dallas Major, which is taking place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center until June 2 as part of international gaming festival DreamHack Dallas. The Arabic version of the tournament will be supported by homegrown casting and production staff.
The Major, a collaboration between Blizzard Entertainment and EFG, welcomes eight of the world’s top teams, including Saudi Arabia’s own Twisted Minds, for three days of premier Overwatch 2 competition.
Featuring a prize pool supported by crowdfunding, fans in Saudi Arabia and MENA can watch the action unfold as players aim to be the first to claim an international OWCS title and qualify to compete at the Esports World Cup.
The broadcast is the first initiative in a long-term commitment from EFG. To inspire next-generation gamers in MENA, the company will offer access to top-tier international competitions, including championships in its Snapdragon Pro Series. Fans will also have access to the Intel Extreme Masters Counter-Strike esports circuit.
EFG’s Arabic live-stream events will feature AAA game titles such as Moonton’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, with finals streamed live from Jakarta, Indonesia in August. Details of new titles and dates will be announced in the near future.
“Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest-growing esports markets in the world with a thriving gaming fanbase, and the national initiatives like Vision 2030 showcase the country’s desire to fuel not only local gaming growth but contribute to the industry’s international success,” said Franck Guignery, ESL’s senior vice president and MENA managing director.
“We are thrilled to bring our premier esports programming to the region and to help its passionate players, fans, and creators build deeper connections with the global community of their favorite brands and titles, and most importantly, with each other.”
The live broadcast can be watched on ESL Arabia Twitch, and YouTube. For those unable to tune in at the time, they can also be watched on demand for free on the YouTube channel.
Top 100 pros confirmed for World Pool Championship in Jeddah
- A field of 128 players, including 28 wild cards, will take part in the event at the Green Halls from June 3-8
JEDDAH: The World Nineball Tour has confirmed the top 100 ranked players will play in the World Pool Championship in Saudi Arabia next week.
The event, the jewel in the WNT crown, will take place in the Green Halls, Jeddah, from June 3-8 in partnership with the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation and the Saudi Ministry of Sport.
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, who maintains his No. 1 status in the rankings, will be joined by stars including Shane Van Boening, Fedor Gorst and Albin Ouschan.
“I am so happy to retain my No.1 ranking, especially as we head into this year’s World Pool Championship in Saudi Arabia,” Ruiz said.
“My goal is not only to maintain my top position on the World Nineball Tour, but also to defend my World Pool Championship title. I am determined to showcase my best game and emerge victorious once again on the world stage.”
The landmark event will see a field of 128 elite cueists battling it out in a double-elimination format for a record-breaking prize fund.
In addition to the top 100, the remaining 28 players will be made up of wildcard entries, 13 of whom will represent the host nation. Full details of the players representing Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries will be announced soon.
Emily Frazer, CEO of organizers Matchroom Multi Sport, said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has hosted the world’s premier sporting spectacles of late and we are thrilled to be staging the prestigious World Pool Championships in Jeddah. Now the world’s top 100 are all signed up, this tournament truly will live up to the hype. The fans are in for a real treat and you will not want to miss it.
“We are hugely grateful to both the SABSF and the Ministry of Sport for their incredible vision and invaluable support in making this elite event a reality.”
SABSF President Dr. Nasser Saab Al-Shammari added: “We could not be more excited to host the World Pool Championship, an incredible international event steeped in history and prestige with a huge global following. Welcoming the world’s greatest players for the crown jewel of the World Nineball Tour is an occasion that will certainly be embraced and enjoyed by a Saudi population whose affiliation with this sport dates back many decades. The opportunity to work alongside both Matchroom Sport and our Ministry of Sport in staging this spectacle is a genuine privilege.”
Strike threat over football calendar with players at ‘breaking point’
LONDON: Players could strike in their bid to cut down on the number of matches they play, England’s Professional Footballers’ Association warned FIFA.
Football’s world governing body is under growing pressure to address the workload of elite players, with threats of legal action.
The PFA wants action to alter the congested football calendar, especially with the expanded 32-team Club World Cup proposed for next summer.
An event Thursday in London by the PFA and FIFPRO, the international players’ union, heard that players were at “breaking point.”
PFA chief executive Maheta Molango recalled a recent conversation he had with players of an unnamed club.
“How far would you like to go?” Molango recounted asking the players, according to the BBC.
“Some of them said: ‘I’m not having it, we may as well strike.’
“Some said: ‘What’s the point? Yes, I’m a millionaire, but I don’t even have time to spend the money.’“
Molango added: “We have reached a point where we cannot discount any action.”
FIFA was already facing the threat of legal action if there is no rescheduling of the 2025 Club World Cup.
A letter recently sent to FIFA president Gianni Infantino by the World Leagues’ Association and FIFPRO said football’s worldwide schedule was now “beyond saturation.”
FIFA in response said it would guarantee player welfare with its “harmonious” scheduling.
The football schedule will expand once more next season, with the Champions League and Europa League having eight first-phase games compared to six this term.
The Champions League, Europa League and UEFA Conference League will all be increased to 36 teams.
Doncic’s 36 points spur Mavs back to NBA Finals with 124-103 toppling of Timberwolves in Game 5
- Kyrie Irving also scored 36 points for the Mavericks, who built a 29-point halftime lead on 61 percent shooting to deflate the once-energized crowd before most fans got up for their first snack break
- The Mavs, who had the fifth seed in the West, have a full week to rest before the NBA Finals begin in Boston on June 6 for the franchise’s first appearance since winning the championship in 2011
MINNEAPOLIS: Luka Doncic had a 20-point first quarter on his way to 36 points for his high this postseason, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 on Thursday night to breeze through the Western Conference finals in five games.
“He let his teammates know that it’s time and they’ve got to take it up a notch,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He sent the invites out, and they all came.”
Kyrie Irving also scored 36 points for the Mavericks, who built a 29-point halftime lead on 61 percent shooting to deflate the once-energized crowd before most fans got up for their first snack break. The Mavs went up by 36 in the third quarter, consistently keeping the Timberwolves offense all out of whack.
The Mavs, who had the fifth seed in the West, have a full week to rest before the NBA Finals begin in Boston on June 6 for the franchise’s first appearance since winning the championship in 2011 when Kidd was playing for them. The Celtics will have had 10 days between games after sweeping Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals.
Anthony Edwards scored 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 12 rebounds for the third-seeded Wolves, who met their match with the defense-smashing duo of Doncic and Irving after stifling Phoenix in a first-round sweep and then dethroning defending champion Denver in a seven-game series.
“We never clicked all together as a team in this series, not even one game,” Edwards said. “The last two series, we were all clicking at one time, making shots and stuff. It wasn’t clicking at one time here.”
Irving improved to 15-1 in his career in closeout games in the playoffs.
Doncic set a defiant tone by starting 4 for 4, hitting rainbows from 28 and 31 feet as he turned to talk trash to the courtside fans with each swish, often with a sly smile. He drained a 32-footer later in a first quarter as the Mavs closed on a 17-1 spurt, a run they pushed to 28-5 over a nine-minute stretch.’
“I thought I set a good-enough screen, and I turned around and he’s shooting from half court,” center Daniel Gafford said.
This was Doncic’s second 20-point quarter in his postseason career, following a 21-point fourth quarter in the Western Conference finals loss to Golden State in 2022. He was voted the MVP of the series.
Doncic, who shot 14 for 22 and grabbed 10 rebounds, and his savvy sidekick Irving, who has a championship ring from 2016 with Cleveland, were the superior stars in this series as this Wolves team found its first taste of a sustained postseason run to be a bitter — but perhaps ultimately beneficial — one.
Though he familiarly and persistently waved his arms at the officials almost every time a whistle didn’t go his way, the 25-year-old Doncic played with an unshakeable confidence and unflappable joy from start to finish. As he was taunted by the fans with a “Flopper!” chant when he shot free throws in the third quarter, Doncic smiled and mockingly mouthed the words along with them.
The Mavs got 7-foot-1 rookie Dereck Lively II back from the sprained neck that kept him out of the previous game, restoring the complete rim protection duo with Gafford that helped them disrupt Rudy Gobert in the post and just about everyone else who tried to attack the basket. Gafford had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Lively added nine points and eight rebounds.
Edwards, though he hit the 25-point mark for the 15th time in 27 career playoff games, had trouble finding his rhythm amid all the double-teams. The Wolves, for all their progress this season, were reminded they don’t yet have a championship offense despite his dynamic skills and clutch mentality.
They had several wince-inducing possessions in the decisive first half, with the coaches struggling to find a group that could play in sync together.
As the final seconds of the second quarter ticked away, Edwards drove to the lane and kicked the ball to the corner to Kyle Anderson, who swung it back to Towns on the wing and failed to find a look he liked. He passed back to Anderson, who tried to move closer and had the shot clock expire on him.
P.J. Washington, who had 12 points, flexed his arms in celebration of yet another stifling defensive sequence by the Mavs.
“We missed a lot of easy stuff, went 1-on-1 too early, just got kind of busted out of any offensive structure,” coach Chris Finch said.
Cricket in uncharted territory as T20 World Cup starts in Texas
- A month-long festival of the fastest, most explosive form of the sport begins with the US taking on Canada in Dallas on Saturday
- It marks the opening skirmish of the first ever major International Cricket Council event to be held in the US and the West Indies
DALLAS: Cricket ventures into uncharted territory on Saturday as the first ever major tournament to be staged in the United States gets under way in Texas with the opening game of the T20 World Cup.
A month-long festival of the fastest and most explosive form of the sport — which is being shared between venues in Texas, Florida, New York and the Caribbean — begins with the US taking on Canada at the Grand Prairie Stadium on the outskirts of Dallas on Saturday.
It marks the opening skirmish of the first ever major International Cricket Council (ICC) event to be held in part in the United States.
While the bulk of the tournament will be played out in the Caribbean, 16 group stage games in the 20-team tournament will be played on American soil, including the highlight of the group stage — a clash between India and Pakistan due to be played in Long Island, New York.
The rest of the tournament will be held in the West Indies, including the Super Eight stage, the semifinals and the final, which will be played at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
While cricket is widely played at a recreational level in the United States, with strong presences in all three of the states that have been chosen for games, organizers are realistic about the chances of “converting” mainstream American sports fans.
Instead, they expect that the large immigrant communities from cricket-loving backgrounds, including thousands of India fans in particular, will pack the stadiums.
“I think, number one, we want to celebrate those that are already fanatical lovers of cricket. They deserve to see the best players in the world come into their backyard and have that chance,” T20 World Cup USA, Inc. chief executive Brett Jones told AFP.
“Number two, I think it’s about spiking curiosity in the game,” he said.
The ICC also sees the tournament as a launch pad toward the sport’s return to the Olympics for Los Angeles 2028, when the T20 format will be used.
Major League Cricket, a T20 tournament, was launched last year and also stands to benefit from any growth in interest in the big-hitting, spectacular shortest form.
But it is not only the American market that the ICC is focused upon — the expansion of the tournament has opened up opportunities for newer cricket nations to compete on the big stage.
In recent years, the sport has been able to expand outside of its traditional strongholds with Ireland and Afghanistan earning places in the 12-strong elite with full Test status.
But the ICC see the T20 format as the perfect vehicle for growing the game and this year’s edition will feature three T20 World Cup debutants in the USA, Canada and Uganda.
Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Oman are among the other nations who are relatively new to the big stage and who will be looking to make their mark and grab some attention with an upset win.
With the teams drawn in four groups of five teams, with just the top two advancing, none of the smaller nations are expected to progress beyond the group stage and there is a danger the pool stage could mainly be a ‘weeding out’ process.
India, winners of the first edition in 2007, are the favorites, with their line-up packed with players from the annual Indian Premier League.
Australia, winners of the ODI World Cup last year along with the World Test Championship, opted to leave out their veteran batsman Steve Smith but big-hitting David Warner and pacemen Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins provide plenty of experience.
Other possible contenders include defending champions England, who will be without the star of their 2022 triumph Ben Stokes, who is managing his fitness after a knee operation. England warmed up for the tournament with a seven-wicket rout of Pakistan in London on Thursday.
Co-hosts West Indies won the tournament in 2012 and 2016 and are hoping that they can benefit from familiarity with the surfaces in the region.
South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan will all fancy their chances of making an impact in a tournament which always produces surprises.
