To have everything

Burns and Pope fall cheaply for Surrey Lawrence and Westley shine for Essex Opener Robson hits 165 for Middlesex D ay one: Surrey (220-9) vs Gloucestershire After a lean winter both of Surrey’s England batsmen, Rory Burns and Ollie Pope, needed their springs to blossom but they were dismissed for four and 22 respectively by a similar impatience. During their winter Test series in India, England’s batsmen interpreted the message to be positive so enthusiastically that some tried a shot at almost every ball - Pope for one dancing down the turning pitch in Ahmedabad to the left-arm spin of Axar Patel and being, not surprisingly, stumped. In their growing desperation England’s batsmen, apart from their captain Joe Root, seemed not to observe Rishabh Pant’s shot-selection. Pant may have given the impression he slogged every ball but no. He blocked or left 138 balls in that series; sure, he made hay off the 100 balls he attacked but, normally, only after playing himself … [Read more...] about Rory Burns and Ollie Pope display familiar signs of impatience as England batsmen continue to toil

England (139-5) beat Australia (122-8) by 17 runs - Australia win the Ashes 12-4 R edemption, resurrection or just saving face - it doesn’t matter what you call it or how it comes, because England have done it, they have beaten Australia. It may be too little too late for anything meaningful in the context of the Ashes series but here at least is a small moment of joy in what has been a very difficult summer for Heather Knight’s team. As Demi Lovato’s Sorry Not Sorry boomed around the stadium, the crowd truly surged for perhaps the first time this series. They still believed, and perhaps that was all England needed all along: "feeling inspired 'cause the tables (finally) have turned." In Mady Villiers England may have found the all-round athlete coach Mark Robinson has been looking for. The young off-spinner held her nerve on her debut bout to remove Australia’s most explosive batters, Alyssa Healy and Ashleigh Gardner, the latter for a golden duck and both within the same … [Read more...] about Redemption for England women as they finally secure an Ashes victory over Australia… but lose the series 12-4

The rollout of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine across Europe has been delayed, while US officials have recommended a "pause" in the use of the jab as reports of blood clots are investigated. The healthcare giant said on Tuesday it had "made the decision to proactively delay the rollout of our vaccine in Europe". It comes after officials from America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they are looking into six reported cases "of a rare & severe type of blood clot" in women aged 18 to 48. The symptoms occurred six to 13 days after they received the jab. A total of 6.8 million doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the US. Advertisement The company said that "no clear causal link" has been found between their vaccine and the clots. Live COVID updates from across the UK and around the world More from Covid-19 COVID-19: … [Read more...] about COVID-19: European rollout of Johnson & Johnson COVID jab delayed as US officials investigate clots

Shoppers have been flocking back to high streets and other retail destinations in some parts of the country more than others as lockdown rules were eased in England and Wales. Across the UK, footfall climbed by 155.2% compared to the previous week though - partly blamed on wintry weather - the numbers were still 15.9% below pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to data from Springboard. Diane Wehrle, insights director at the firm, said: "The first day of retail reopening was an amazingly positive result and one which finally offers retailers some positive news. "The strong uplift highlights that consumer demand is higher than even forecasted and shows that bricks and mortar still holds a key position within the retail sector." Retailers are desperate to see a recovery in trade after the sector shed 67,000 jobs last year and lockdowns cost £27bn in lost sales, according to industry estimates. Advertisement Scenes of shoppers queuing outside stores … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Which regions saw footfall return closest to pre-pandemic levels as lockdowns eased?

Boris Johnson has promised a top lawyer will be given "carte blanche to ask anybody whatever he needs" as part of a review into the activities of a collapsed finance firm David Cameron lobbied for. The prime minister has asked Nigel Boardman to look into the role of Australian financier Lex Greensill , his business, Greensill Capital, and its involvement with the government. It follows weeks of allegations about the links between Mr Greensill, Mr Cameron and government ministers and officials. What is the lobbying scandal and why is David Cameron involved? Mr Cameron, who was employed by Mr Greensill in 2018 after he had left Downing Street, has been revealed to have approached serving ministers about the involvement of Greensill Capital in government-backed financial support schemes during the coronavirus crisis. This included text messages sent to Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Advertisement Mr Cameron also had a drink with Health … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Top lawyer will have ‘carte blanche’ with review into firm David Cameron lobbied for, says Boris Johnson