PROUD MEDIA NEWS CENTRE

  Former England captain Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving after crashing into a central reservation, police said. The ex-Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder was arrested after a black Range Rover crashed at 17:00 BST on Saturday on Chester High Road in Neston, Wirral. Cheshire Police said the 57-year-old has been bailed to appear at Chester Magistrates' Court on 18 July. The former Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool manager, who also played for West Ham United and Inter Milan, won 53 caps for his country and played at Euro 96 and the World Cup in 1998. He became the first black footballer to captain England in 1993. After retiring, he moved into management, most recently working for Reading between 2022 and 2023. A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said officers "were called following reports of a collision on Chester High Road, Neston". "The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier," the spokes...

  For Pauline Eyre, who called the lines at Wimbledon for 16 years, some natty blazers and the chance to buy tickets for the tournament were the main recompense for work she had to take annual leave to do. Nowadays the best officials might earn up to £200 a day plus expenses. But line judging has never been about the money for those who spend hours leaning forward, hands resting on knees, staring intently at a line of chalk to determine in a split second on which side of it the yellow ball has bounced. Being so close to Jana Novotna on Centre Court that she could see her foot shaking on the first point of a Wimbledon final or being "psyched out" by John McEnroe were priceless experiences for Eyre. And then there were the outfits. "There's nothing quite like walking out on to the iconic grass courts at SW19, wearing the uniform of what many consider the best-dressed officials in all of sport," Malgorzata Grzyb, chair of the Association of British Tennis Official...

  The Uefa Women’s Euros is set to deliver a summertime boost to the UK economy with pubs hoping to serve millions of extra pints during the tournament, according to a leading trade body. Pubs being allowed to stay open later if England or Wales reach the final stages could also reel in more customers. The Uefa Women’s Euro 2025 tournament kicks off in Switzerland on July 2, with England’s Lionesses and Wales playing their first matches on Saturday July 5. Pubs are hoping to pull an additional 2.6 million extra pints during the tournament, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) found, based on an estimated increase in pub beer sales during matches compared with the annual daily average. The BBPA, whose members brew 90% of British beer and own nearly half of UK pubs, said this could deliver a £13 million boost to the economy. Furthermore, pubs could be allowed to stay open beyond their usual closing time if either of the two countries reach the semi-finals or final of the Euros...

  Askren , 40, was knock ed out by the You Tuber-turned-boxer back in 2021 and has  been in hospital recently . The former MMA star has been needing treatment for weeks due to complications from severe pneumonia. He  will need to undergo a lung transplant and has been placed on the waiting list   as he continues to fight alongside his beloved wife Amy. Paul, 28, beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in California by unanimous decision on Saturday night. He dominated the bout, with judges awarding him nine out of the ten rounds. But it was after the fight that Paul sent his classy message to his old adversary. Paul urged fans to donate to Askren to help cover the astronomical costs of Askren's operation. It comes after it was confirmed that his insurance would not cover the lung transplant. Askren's family have launched a non-profit fund on Help Hope Live to help contribute to the costs. "We all need to support him. Everyone should g...

Having missed the Six Nations through injury, Sione Tuipulotu feels he's now finding his best stuff again, the kind of power and influence that shot him to favourite for the Lions Test 12 jersey in the first place. "I'm starting to get my feet back underneath me," said the centre after playing the full 80 minutes in the convincing win over Western Force on Saturday. "Obviously, I haven't played Test rugby since the autumn. I still feel like I've got massive growth to do and I know I can start playing my best rugby in the bigger games at the end of this tour." There's no doubt he is getting better with every game. There's also no doubt that the battle for the Test midfield partnership is intense. In Perth the partnership was Tuipulotu and Garry Ringrose, who the Scotland captain was impressed by, to put it mildly. "Jeez, mate, he's a missile out there," Tuipulotu said of the Irishman's physicality. He enjoyed being alongside ...

By Nick Timoney's own admission, his last Ireland cap was "a long time ago now". The most consistent performer in an inconsistent Ulster team, the 29-year-old has found the Test game a tougher nut to crack. After making his debut for Andy Farrell's side against the USA in July 2021, the back row was a late inclusion for that November's Test against Argentina - so late, in fact, that he was sat in his house in Belfast on the morning of the game - and then started a year later against Fiji. Despite being in various squads over recent years, including touring parties to New Zealand and South Africa, he has not featured since that game three Autumns ago. Farrell has consistently selected three from Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan, Peter O'Mahony and Caelan Doris as his loose forward trio, with the odd man out providing impact off the bench. But with the former pair away with the British and Irish Lions, O'Mahony retired, and Doris injured, there are rare opport...

Tyrone boss Malachy O'Rourke praised the attitude of his players in their 0-23 to 0-16 All-Ireland quarter-final win against Dublin. In a tight and tense affair, the Red Hands' substitutes made the difference with the likes of Ruairi Canavan and Eoin McElholm scoring late to help them pull away from the Dubs. And O'Rourke was pleased that his side kept going until the end as they booked their place in a first All-Ireland semi-final since 2021 and secured a first championship win over Dublin since 2008. "Delighted for them all to get over the line and get through. It wasn't a brilliant game to watch, but you have to acknowledge you're up against a quality opposition and you're not going to have it all your own way," he told BBC Sport NI. "I'm delighted with the way the boys dug, defended really well and scored some good scores." O'Rourke said the conditions made the game even harder but that he was happy with the contributions of the w...

  Emma Raducanu’s attempt at a miraculous recovery against Maya Joint fell just short as she exited the Eastbourne Open. The British number one looked dead and buried in her second-round battle with the Australian, trailing 5-2 in the deciding set. But she produced an inspired spell, breaking Joint three times when she was serving for the match, to set up a tiebreak. Victory was in sight when she got a mini-break to lead 4-3 but Joint reeled off four successive points to claim a 4-6 6-1 7-6 (4) victory and move into the quarter-finals. Raducanu revealed on Tuesday after her opening round win that she had received “some pretty bad news” and that perhaps affected her as she seemed subdued on court and looked increasingly leggy in the deciding set. The 22-year-old will now head to London where she will prepare for her SW19 campaign, the scene of her 2021 breakthrough. She lost the opening two games of the match but battled back to gain control, breaking twice to take the opening set 6...

  Ben Duckett’s triumphant 149 guided England to another round of Headingley heroics as they completed a wonderful chase to down India by five wickets in the first Test. Yorkshire’s headquarters have witnessed some outrageous spectacles over the years, with Ashes classics in 1981, 2019 and 2023, and England chalked up another as they knocked off a massive target of 371 late on day five. That was their second highest pursuit ever – seven shy of the 378 they made against the same opposition at Edgbaston three years ago – as well as the 10th largest of all time. Duckett was their inspiration, leading a superb opening stand of 188 with Zak Crawley (65) and going on to a sixth Test hundred to take complete control. Only one Englishman has scored more in a fourth-innings win, Mark Butcher’s unbeaten 173 at the same ground in 2001. With Duckett’s work done, Joe Root’s 53 not out and an unbeaten 44 from Jamie Smith wrapped things up – the latter smashing two big sixes to finish in style wi...

  A statue will be revealed in 2027 Wimbledon plan to honour Sir Andy Murray with a statue at the All England Club. Murray, the Wimbledon men’s singles champion in 2013 and 2016, retired last year and will be involved in designing the sculpture. Wimbledon hope the statue will be revealed in 2027 during the championship’s 150th anniversary. “We are looking to have a statue of Andy Murray here (Wimbledon) and we’re working closely with him and his team,” All England club chair Debbie Jevans told the ainslie + ainslie Performance People podcast. “The ambition is that we would unveil that at the 150th anniversary of our first Championship, which was 1877. “He’s got to rightly be very involved in that and him and his team will be.” Tennis greats John McEnroe and Billie Jean King are among those that have previously called for Murray to be honoured with a statue at Wimbledon. The Scot ended a 77-year wait for a British man to be crowned Wimbledon singles champion and retired after the Pa...

  Former teammates of a hockey player who died from meningitis 25 years ago have created a joke book to raise awareness and funds for a charity researching the disease. Former teammates of a hockey player who died from meningitis 25 years ago have created a joke book to raise awareness and funds for a charity researching the disease. Big Eddie’s Joke Book is a tribute to Eddie Rosen, son of children’s author and poet, Michael Rosen, whose died from meningitis at the age of 18 in 1999. Created by Eddie’s friends, and former teammates from the Gunners Hockey Club in London and their families, the book is a celebration of his life and love of laughter. It is packed with jokes, limericks and stories, contributed by people whose lives were touched by Eddie’s personality. Eddie was part of a youth hockey programme run by Arsenal in the Community. Freddie Hudson, Eddie’s former coach who is now head of Arsenal in the Community, said: “A joke book is a fitting way to remember Eddie. Humour...

Liverpool to begin their title defence against Bournemouth Liverpool will kick off their Premier League title defence with a home game against Bournemouth on Friday, August 15. Arne Slot’s side have the chance to secure the first points of the new season at Anfield as they launch the 2025-26 campaign. Thomas Frank’s first match as Tottenham boss will come the following day at home against newly-promoted Burnley, while Sunderland’s return to the top flight also begins at home on August 16 against West Ham. The third newcomers, Leeds, have been given the Monday night slot for a clash with Everton at Elland Road. Other fixtures on the opening weekend see Aston Villa face Newcastle at Villa Park in the early kick-off on the Saturday, while Manchester City travel to Wolves later the same day. Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United have been handed an immediate challenging test with a home game against Arsenal on Sunday, August 17. Everton’s first Premier League match at their new Hill Dickinson S...