County cricket: Sussex beat Leicestershire, Yorkshire draw against Glamorgan – as it happened

Four lots of last-gasp ditch-digging brought the first round of County Championship games to a tense finish.Northamptonshire’s last pair defied Lancashire for an hour to earn a draw at Wantage Road, strung together by an unbeaten 197-ball 95 from George Bartlett. The game looked done when James Anderson and the new ball reduced Northants to 181 for nine, but Ben Sanderson gave brave support and Bartlett straight-batted the final over from Tom Hartley despite a warren of close fielders.Derbyshire gnashed their teeth at the County Ground, as Matthew Waite and Ethan Brookes masterminded a Worcestershire rearguard action, brushing off an attack including Mohammad Abbas and Shoaib Bashir.Tawanda Muyeye’s unbeaten 109 off just 121 balls for Kent kept out Durham at Chester-le-Street and a rollercoaster match at Sophia Gardens was enlivened by a brave declaration from Glamorgan’s captain, Kiran Carlson

Chicago Sky trade Angel Reese to Atlanta Dream in first major move of WNBA offseason

The Chicago Sky have traded star forward Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream, the teams announced Monday.The trade is the first blockbuster move of the WNBA offseason, which is operating on a condensed timeline after months of negotiations between the league and its players over a new collective bargaining agreement finished last month.Reese, 23, was a two-time All-Star with the Sky, who selected her with the No 7 pick in the 2024 draft after a standout college career at Maryland and LSU. Reese’s rivalry with fellow rookie Caitlin Clark became one of the major storylines of that season, which set records in viewership and attendance.“I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to join the Atlanta Dream organization,” Reese said in a statement Monday

Horse welfare debate helps highlight Grand National’s unrivalled status

There will never be a year when horse welfare is not an issue in the run-up to the Grand National, and that is, in a sense, a positive for the sport. It is a sign that the National retains its status as the biggest race of the year – in terms of audience, betting turnover, name recognition and pretty much any other measure you care to choose. Nearly two centuries after the first running in 1839, it still has deep roots in British culture as an annual sporting rite of spring.Within the racing bubble too there are few subjects that raise hackles and generate debate quite like the National, not least because for many racegoers and punters it is the race that first stoked their interest in the sport. Significant changes to the fences and other conditions in recent years, with the aim of minimising the risk of serious or fatal injuries, have left some fans, at least, feeling it is no longer the same race that they fell in love with several decades ago

Sharper Hawks claim thriller over Cats with one mad minute of the utmost drama | Jonathan Horn

The Easter Monday fixture between Hawthorn and Geelong, especially the four years from 2010 to 2013, saw some of the best home and away football of the century. Monday’s game may have surpassed them all. Chris Scott did his best to talk it down. But it was a game of the highest quality, and a finish of the utmost drama. It ran the full gamut between sumptuous skill and high farce

Courtney Lawes to return to Prem from Brive and would be again eligible for England

The former England captain Courtney Lawes is returning to the Prem at the end of the season after two years at French club Brive.The 37-year-old retired from international rugby after the 2023 Rugby World Cup and made the move to France after winning the 2023-24 Premiership title with Northampton Saints.It has not yet been confirmed which English club he will sign for, but his return would make him eligible again for international duty. Brive have said the club wished the flanker would finish his career with them but “understands Lawes’ desire to seize a new challenge”.Brive’s president, Thierry Blandinières, said: “We are very proud to say that Courtney Lawes will have been a Brive player for two seasons

Retirement gnome? Masters miniatures rumoured to have short future at Augusta

Everyone says goodbye to the Masters eventually. Sandy Lyle, Ben Crenshaw, Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer used recent years to wave goodbye. Will 2026 be the end for a renowned Augusta National element of more recent times … the Masters gnome?Speculation is rising that this Masters will be the final time gnomes will be on sale inside Augusta’s merchandise outlets. On face value, this hardly feels dramatic. The quirk, though, is that the household essential for any golf lover has become a victim of its own success