68 Thursday May 26 2022 | the timesSportRugby union
Football
Europa Conference League final
Roma (1) 1 Feyenoord (0) 0
Zaniolo 32
(at Arena Kombetare, Tirana)
Cricket
Vitality T20 Blast: North group
Yorkshire Vikings v
Worcestershire Rapids
Headingley (Worcestershire Rapids won
toss): Yorkshire Vikings (2pts) beat
Worcestershire Rapids by seven wickets
Worcestershire Rapids (balls)
E J Pollock b Bess 5 (6)
B L D’Oliveira c Khan b Root 32 (16)
J A Haynes c Thompson b Revis 61 (33)
J D Libby c Lyth b Thompson 25 (27)
*†O B Cox c Brook b Thompson 11 (12)
E G Barnard b Rauf 18 (12)
G H Roderick run out 0 (1)
J Baker c Brook b Thompson 3 (7)
D Y Pennington not out 3 (4)
P R Brown run out 2 (2)
Extras (lb 4, w 8) 12
Total (9 wkts, 20 overs) 172
C A J Morris did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-7, 2-70, 3-123, 4-142, 5-146,
6-147, 7-167, 8-169, 9-172.
Bowling Rauf 4-0-32-1; Bess 2-0-12-1;
Thompson 4-0-35-3; Root 1-0-20-1; Khan
3-0-26-0; Rashid 4-0-30-0; Revis 2-0-13-1.Yorkshire Vikings (balls)
A Lyth c Roderick b Barnard 40 (24)
D J Malan c Barnard b Morris 33 (30)
†T Kohler-Cadmore b D’Oliveira 1 (4)
*J E Root not out 35 (24)
H C Brook not out 60 (27)
Extras (w 6) 6
Total (3 wkts, 18.1 overs) 175
S Khan, J A Thompson, D M Bess, M L Revis,
A U Rashid and H Rauf did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-70, 2-73, 3-88.
Bowling D’Oliveira 3-0-18-1; Pennington
3-0-39-0; Baker 2-0-23-0; Morris 3.1-0-20-1;
Brown 3-0-37-0; Barnard 4-0-38-1.
Umpires N A Mallender and R J Warren.
South group
Kent Spitfires v Somerset
Canterbury (Kent Spitfires won toss):
Somerset (2pts) beat Kent Spitfires by eight
wickets
Kent Spitfires (balls)
Z Crawley c Van der Merwe b Davey 4 (6)
D J Bell-Drummond c Goldsworthy
b Gregory 12 (11)
J L Denly b Green 5 (16)
*†S W Billings c Banton b Gregory 5 (9)
J A Leaning not out 72 (43)
J M Cox c Abell b Goldsworthy 11 (13)
G F Linde c Lammonby b Gregory 29 (15)
G Stewart not out 14 (8)
Extras (lb 2, w 6, nb 2) 10
Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 162
Q A Kamawal, M E Milnes and F J Klaassen
did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-8, 2-24, 3-31, 4-33, 5-85, 6-131.Bowling Lammonby 2-0-17-0; Davey 4-0-18-1;
Gregory 4-0-25-3; Green 4-0-25-1; Van der
Merwe 1-0-12-0; De Lange 3-0-39-0;
Goldsworthy 2-0-24-1.
Somerset (balls)
†T Banton c Leaning b Milnes 9 (13)
W C F Smeed c Cox b Klaassen 21 (19)
R R Rossouw not out 81 (54)
*T B Abell not out 48 (29)
Extras (lb 2, w 5) 7
Total (2 wkts, 19.1 overs) 166
T A Lammonby, L Gregory, L P Goldsworthy,
B G F Green, R E Van der Merwe, M de Lange
and J H Davey did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-19, 2-45.
Bowling Klaassen 3.1-0-21-1; Stewart 4-0-41-0;
Milnes 4-0-36-1; Kamawal 4-0-38-0; Leaning
2-0-13-0; Linde 2-0-15-0.
Umpires B J Debenham and R T Robinson.
T20 tour match
Kia Oval Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI
106 (18.5 overs); Surrey 111-1 (9.4 overs: W G
Jacks 58 not out). Surrey won by nine wickets.
Second Test match
Bangladesh v Sri Lanka
Mirpur (third day of five): Sri Lanka, with five
first-innings wickets in hand, are 83 runs
behind Bangladesh
Bangladesh First Innings 365 (Mushfiqur
Rahim 175 not out, Litton Das 141; C A K Rajitha
5 for 64, A M Fernando 4 for 93)
Sri Lanka First Innings (overnight 143-2)
*F D M Karunaratne b Al Hasan 80
C A K Rajitha b Chowdhury 0A D Mathews not out 58
D M de Silva c Das b Al Hasan 58
L D Chandimal not out 10
Extras (lb 6, nb 2) 8
Total (5 wkts, 97 overs) 282
†D P D N Dickwella, R T M Wanigamuni, P
Jayawickrama and A M Fernando to bat.
Fall of wickets 1-95, 2-139, 3-144, 4-164, 5-266.
Bowling Ahmed 15-1-62-0; Chowdhury 26-4-
78-2; Al Hasan 26-9-59-3; Saikat 2-0-14-0;
Islam 28-6-63-0.
Umpires J S Wilson (West Indies) and
Sharfuddoula Saikat (Bangladesh).
Cycling
Giro d’Italia
Leading positions: 17th stage (Ponte di
Legno to Lavarone, 168km): 1, S Buitrago (Col,
Bahrain Victorious) 4:27:41; 2, G Leemreize
(Neth, Jumbo-Visma) 35; 3, J Hirt (Cz,
Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux) 2:28;
4, H Carthy (GB, EF Education-EasyPost) same
time; 5, R Carapaz (Ec, INEOS Grenadiers) 2:53;
6, J Hindley (Aus, BORA-hansgrohe) same
time); 7, M Vansevenant (Bel, Quick-Step-
Alpha Vinyl) 2:57; 8, K Bouwman (Neth,
Jumbo-Visma) 2:59; 9, G Martin (Fr, Cofidis);
10, M Landa (Sp, Bahrain Victorious) both
same time, Overall 1, Carapaz 73:19:40; 2,
Hindley at 3sec; 3, Landa 1:05; 4, J Almeida
(Por, UAE Team Emirates) 1:54; 5, V Nibali (It,
Astana-Qazaqstan Team) 5:48; 6, P Bilbao (Sp,
Bahrain Victorious) 6:19; 7, Hirt 7:12; 8, E
Buchmann (Ger, BORA-hansgrohe) 7:13; 9, JPLópez (Sp, Trek-Segafredo) 12:27; 10, D
Pozzovivo (It, Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert
Matériaux) 12:30; 11, Carthy 17:03.
Tennis
French Open
Roland Garros, Paris (seeds in brackets):
Men: Singles: Second round (10) C Norrie
(GB) bt J Kubler (Aus) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3; (3) A Zverev
(Ger) bt S Baez (Arg) 2-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5; (1) N
Djokovic (Serbia) bt A Molcan (Slovakia) 6-2,
6-3, 7-6 (7-4); (23) J Isner (US) bt G Barrere (Fr)
6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5); (9) F Auger Aliassime
(Can) bt C Ugo Carabelli (Arg) 6-0, 6-3, 6-4; A
Bedene (Slovenia) bt P Cuevas (Uru) 4-6, 6-4,
7-6 (7-5), 6-4; F Krajinovic (Serbia) bt B Gojo
(Cro) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-1; (21) K Khachanov
bt H Dellien (Bol) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3; B
Nakashima (US) bt T Griekspoor (Neth) 7-6 (8-
6), 6-4, 6-2; B Zapata Miralles (Sp) bt (13) T Fritz
(US) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3; B van de Zandschulp
(Neth) bt F Fognini (It) 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 3-2 ret;
(15) D Schwartzman (Arg) bt (26) J Munar (Sp)
2-6, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-2, 6-2; (18) G Dimitrov (Bul)
bt B Coric (Cro) 6-0, 6-4, 6-3; (6) C Alcaraz (Sp)
bt A Ramos-Viñolas (Sp) 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 5-7, 7-6
(7-2), 6-4; (18) (27) S Korda (US) bt R Gasquet
(Fr) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-3; (5) R Nadal (Sp) bt C
Moutet (Fr) 6-3, 6-1, 6-4. Doubles: First round
L Glasspool (GB) and H Helioevaara (Fin) bt K
Krawietz (Ger) and A Mies (Ger) 6-4, 6-2; (10)
J Murray (GB) and B Soares (Br) bt J Erlich (Isr)
and L Harris (SA) 6-1, 6-2; (1) R Ram (US) and J
Salisbury (GB) bt M Giron (US) and KwonSoon-woo (S Kor) 6-3, 6-2. Women: Singles:
Second round (21) A Kerber (Ger) bt E
Jacquemot (Fr) 6-1, 7-6 (7-2); A Sasnovich bt
(12) E Raducanu (GB) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1; (31) E
Mertens (Bel) wo M Bouzkova (Cz); (15) V
Azarenka bt A Petkovic (Ger) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3); K
Muchova (Cz) bt (4) M Sakkari (Gr) 7-6 (7-5),
7-6 (7-4); (18) C Gauff (US) bt A van Uytvanck
(Bel) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4); (17) L Fernandez (Can) bt K
Siniakova (Cz) 6-3, 6-2; (27) A Anisimova (US)
bt D Vekic (Cro) 6-4, 6-1; V Gracheva bt A
Tomljanovic (Aus) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5; K Kanepi
(Est) bt B Haddad Maia (Br) 6-4, 6-4; S
Stephens (US) bt (26) S Cirstea (Rom) 3-6, 6-2,
6-0; (14) B Bencic (Switz) bt B Andreescu (Can)
6-2, 6-4; M Trevisan (It) bt M Linette (Pol) 6-3,
6-2; D Saville (Aus) bt (32) P Kvitova (Cz) 6-4,
6-2; D Parry (Fr) bt C Osorio (Col) 6-3, 6-3.
Doubles: First round S Murray (GB) and H
Watson (GB) bt M Brengle (US) and Arina
Rodionova (Aus) 6-1, 6-3.Results
Vitality Blast: North group: Edgbaston
Birmingham Bears v Northants Steelbacks
(6.30). Leicester Leicestershire Foxes v
Durham. South group: Radlett Middlesex v
Gloucestershire (4.30). Hove Sussex Sharks v
Glamorgan (7.0).
Tour match: Chelmsford: First day of
four First Class Counties XI v New
Zealanders (11.0).Cricket fixtures
‘F
earless Freddie Steward’
has a nice ring to it, not
just for headline writers
but because it captures the
spirit with which the
Leicester Tigers full back has
established himself in the England
team over the past year. The
challenges have come thick and fast
this year and Steward has barely
blinked.
The 21-year-old was named man of
the match in England’s autumn
victories over Australia and South
Africa and he has been integral to
Leicester’s Gallagher Premiership title
quest.
Those who work closely with him
believe Steward is on course to
become the best full back in the world.
High praise indeed but his efforts this
season were recognised by his fellow
professionals at the Rugby Players
Association (RPA) awards last night.
Steward was up on stage twice after
being voted as England’s player of the
year and as the RPA’s young player of
the year. The players’ player of the
year went to Andre Esterhuizen, the
Harlequins and South Africa centre.
“When I was told I was nominated
I was surprised,” Steward said. “To
hear that I had won, it is very surreal.
Two years ago I was not even a
regular starter for Leicester in the
Premiership. To have had a year
playing for England and to have won
this award, this is not something I
thought would be possible.”
Steward’s no-fear attitude has been
at the heart of his success, allowing
him to dominate in the hostile
environment of Test rugby.
“I am nervous,” Steward said before
his Six Nations debut in February,
“but I am not scared.”
He had said much the same before
the South Africa game, which stands
out as his greatest rugby memory ofSteward: Being
fearless is key
to my success
the season so far. The world
champions were expecting to rain
kicks down on Steward and he
defused that aerial threat masterfully.
To do that — to leap high into the
air, arms outstretched, aware that the
slightest nudge could knock you
dangerously off balance — requires
its own form of courage. “Fearless,”
Steward says. “That is the most
important thing. To throw yourself up
there with all the bodies around you
have got to be fearless.
“It is one of those mindsets where it
is do or die. As a full back you don’t
have a choice — it is your job to go
and get that ball. It is your
responsibility. I love it. A big part of
my improvement this year has been
psychological, learning how to deal
with the pressure of big games. When
you run out at Twickenham in front
of 80,000, it is about being able to
handle that, trust my skillset and
perform under pressure.”
Steward first stepped out at
Twickenham last summer, making his
debut against the United States but
the 27-26 win against the Springboks
was his favourite occasion. He scored
a try, faced down the toughest test of
his career and ended up victorious as
England pulled a dramatic late win
out of the bag with a penalty from
Marcus Smith.
After the game, Steward went into
the crowd to find his grandfather,
Gabriel Bliss, who had tears rolling
down his cheeks as they shared an
emotional embrace.
When Steward was a boy growing
up in Norfolk, he would spend hours
with his grandfather playing in the
fields on the family farm, throwing a
ball around and riding bikes.
Bliss had told his grandson when he
was 15 that he would play for England
and he has kept all the newspaper
cuttings. “Everything about that
South Africa game was so special.
They are the world champions,
getting over the line to score, my
grandad was there: it was an
emotional day and a game I will
remember for the rest of my life. It
was a special moment in the stands
sharing it with my family.”
Steward voted for Ellis Genge, his
Leicester captain, to win the player-Leicester full back is
named England’s player
of the year after displays
of great courage and
skill, writes Alex Lowe
of-the-year award. “He has been an
unbelievable performer on the field
and as a leader too. He has helped me
develop off the field.”
So too have two of Steward’s
biggest rivals: Elliot Daly while on
England duty and Alex Goode, the
full back who hopped on a Zoom call
to offer some tips and insight intopositioning. It says a great deal about
both Saracens players that they were
prepared to lend their expertise.
“I had a good chat with Alex about
positioning. We spoke about what I
had been working on, for example
closing the line in defence, the cues to
look for. The best part of this last year
has been meeting other players. Elliot
Daly was massive for me, helping me
in training and reviewing clips.”
Steward has a big few weeks ahead,
where he could well come up against
Goode and Daly in the Premiership
final before heading to Australia for a
three-Test series.
“This is a really exciting prospect
for us,” Steward said. And one thing is
for certain: he will head to Australia
without an ounce of trepidation.
6 Freddie Steward was speaking after
winning England men’s player of the
year in association with esya at the
Eterlast RPA AwardsGriffiths out
as Hooper
wins Bath
power battle
Alex Lowe, Will KelleherThe Bath coach Stuart Hooper has won
out in a power struggle with his chair-
man Ed Griffiths, who is departing the
club after a turbulent six-month spell.
The Premiership strugglers have
revealed that Hooper will change his
role next season from director of rugby
to general manager, and will report to
new head of rugby, Johann van Graan,
from July 1, when he joins from Munster.
Despite that alteration — Hooper,
40, will step away from first-team man-
agement and take on the organisation
of the academy and player pathway —
the fact that he is staying can be seen as
a victory over Griffiths.
Griffiths’s surprise departure comes
after a period in which he marginalised
Hooper, wresting control of club mat-
ters from the former lock and cutting
him out of key decision-making.
Griffiths, the former Saracens chief
executive, leaves Bath after he was
parachuted in to review the club in
November and quickly appointing
himself chairman, taking over from
owner, Bruce Craig, who relinquished
the chairmanship at the end of 2021.
At that time Bath had lost 12 consecu-
tive matches in all competitions, and as
Griffiths’s influence grew there were
mounting feelings from those close to
the club that Hooper could be sacked.
Griffiths took almost complete
charge during his tenure, even organis-
ing a four-day team-bonding trip to
Marseille for players last month with-
out the knowledge of the coaching staff.
In his new role Hooper will also look
at data, psychology, nutrition, training
and performance facilities — areas that
Griffiths highlighted during his review.
The club have said that Van Graan will
have “complete responsibility for rugby
matters” next season.
The Bath chief executive, Tarquin
McDonald, said: “This reset will pro-
vide the foundations for a revival for the
club over the coming seasons.”
It is understood Craig became aware
of the extent of the tensions at the club,
and met Griffiths in the past few days
after which the chairman left his post.
Craig added: “Edward leaves the club in
a significantly stronger position.”
Bath could finish bottom of the table
but will not be relegated if they do
because Ealing Trailfinders, the Cham-
pionship winners, failed to meet the
minimum standards criteria to go up.RPA award winners
England men’s player Freddie
Steward
England Women’s player Marlie
Packer
Players’ player of the year Andre
Esterhuizen (Harlequins)
Young player of the year Steward
Blythe Spirit award Kevin Sinfield
and Andrew Fenby
Special merit award Danny CareTIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND
Steward celebrates
his try against
Australia during a
breakthrough year