Gay and Bedingham ace Durham’s chase against Lancashire: county cricket, day four – as it happened

Durham’s Emilio Gay and David Bedingham turned a substantial run chase into an ice-cream and Pimm’s knockabout at Chester-le-Street, chasing down a target of 336 to beat Lancashire with 18 overs to spare. Their unbeaten centuries, in a record stand, came at a gallop and Lancashire had no answer, despite winkling out Ben McKinney and Alex Lees before lunch. “The team is starting to believe,” said the Durham head coach, Ryan Campbell. “There’s a feeling of calmness around the group that I haven’t seen in a while.”Tom Westley and Dean Elgar both made centuries and in process batted Essex to safety against Surrey at the Oval, in a game soaked in sunshine and runs

Anthony Joshua to face Tyson Fury this year for biggest fight in British boxing history

The most hyped and regularly ­postponed fight in recent ­British boxing history will apparently take place this year after Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury agreed terms to meet in the ring. Long in the ­making, and coming far too late in the faded careers of both former world heavyweight champions, the much-delayed showdown will be a guaranteed money-spinner for the fighters and their backers.Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, could barely contain his glee in an Instagram post that said: “Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on! The biggest piece of business we’ve ever done but more importantly the one we’ve always wanted. Biggest year of AJ’s career coming up, the comeback is on.”The bout is expected to take place in November with Netflix having broadcast rights

Murphy goes head-to-head with Loughnane on Guineas weekend in title race

A little over a month after the Brocklesby at Doncaster launched the new season on turf the Flat jockeys’ championship will finally be off and running at Newmarket on Saturday. For the first time since Oisin Murphy and William Buick took the race all the way to Champions Day in October 2021 there is a genuine chance of a contest that extends beyond the end of July.It has the potential to be a historic contest and the bookies cannot agree on a favourite in what is likely to be a straight head-to-head between 20-year-old Billy Loughnane – who would be the youngest champion for more than a century – and Murphy, the reigning champion and hoping to join Kieren Fallon as a six-time winner.Murphy was an easy victor with 143 winners last season and while Loughnane was the only other rider to reach three figures he was a long way adrift on 108. On that basis, punters could expect Murphy to be a heavy favourite, but at lunchtime on Monday it was possible to back Murphy at 11-10 with Ladbrokes and Loughnane at 6-4 with William Hill – an 88% book in a contest for which Rossa Ryan, at 16-1, is the only other runner shorter than 25-1

Vafaei launches epic comeback to stun Trump on day of great Crucible drama

Iran’s Hossein Vafaei caused the biggest shock of this year’s World Snooker Championship as he beat the world No 1, Judd Trump, in a final frame decider on Monday.Hossein showed nerves of steel to rattle off a break of 91 in the 25th frame to claim a 13-12 victory and move through to the quarter-finals for the first time. Trump, aiming to add to his 2019 title, had led 10-7 and 12-11, but Vafaei would not be denied.The beaming Iranian was warmly congratulated by Trump at the end and received a standing ovation from the crowd. “He’s such a tough opponent

‘I can run 1:58’: Sabastian Sawe sets new target after historic London Marathon win

Sabastian Sawe believes it is only a matter of time before he runs a ­marathon in one hour and 58 ­minutes after his superb sub-two hour ­performance in London on Sunday.Sawe ran 1hr 59min 30sec to break the world record by 65sec and the 31-year-old Kenyan confirmed that he plans to race again in the autumn, although he has not decided where.It will probably be in Berlin, which is a faster course than ­London, in September. When Sawe was asked whether he agreed with his coach, Claudio Berardelli, that 1:58 was possible in his next race, he smiled. “It’s only a matter of time

Mickey Arthur drafted into new coaches panel to mend England’s ties with county cricket

Mickey Arthur, the former South Africa and Pakistan head coach, is one of four appointments to England’s new County Insight Group as the national team seeks to repair ­relations with the domestic game after last winter’s Ashes defeat.Among the recommendations from the internal Ashes review that led to Rob Key and Brendon ­McCullum remaining as director of cricket and men’s head coach respectively was improved dialogue with the county game, not least regarding selection.The sense previously was that England were not interested in the views of those on the shop floor. Paul Farbrace, head coach at Sussex, had summed up the mood as: “There has almost been a feeling in county cricket that: ‘We’re not bothered whether England are doing well or not,’ and that ­saddens me.”To that end Key has appointed four county head coaches – Arthur, Richard Dawson, Alan Richardson and Anthony McGrath – to sit on a new panel that will meet the England ­hierarchy three or four times a season