Former Australia allrounder signs three-year contract to succeed Trevor Griffin

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2025Somerset have appointed Erin Osborne, the former Australia allrounder, as women’s head coach. Osborne, 36, has signed a three-year contract and replaces Trevor Griffin, who stepped down after Somerset’s first season in the newly professional Tier 1 county structure.Osborne played 121 times for Australia between 2009 and 2016. She retired from domestic cricket in 2022, going on to hold a number of coaching roles with Canberra-based ACT Meteors.”I’m thrilled to be joining Somerset as women’s head coach,” Osborne said. “This is an incredible opportunity to work with a club that has a proud history and a passionate supporter base.”I look forward to building on the strong foundations already in place and working closely with the players, coaches, and support staff as we strive for continued growth and success.”Somerset finished bottom of the Vitality Blast group last season, although fared better in the One-Day Cup, winning six games out of 14 and just missing out on the knockouts.On Osborne’s appointment, Somerset director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said: “Erin was the standout candidate for the position, and her knowledge and experience, aligned with her drive to succeed, really resonated with the panel, and will stand the club in good stead moving forward.”Her coaching path to date has seen Erin gain a thorough understanding of how to construct effective programmes, inspire players, and improve performance across female and male pathways. These traits will prove invaluable as we look to build on the inaugural year of professional women’s cricket at the Cooper Associates County Ground.”Erin has established an excellent reputation as a coach in Australia, and we are excited to see her lead Somerset Women into the next stage of our journey.”

Manchester United managed to return to winning ways in the Premier League last night, after a dominant 4-1 thrashing of bottom-placed side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ruben Amorim’s men produced one of their best performances of the campaign to date, to put themselves into sixth place and just a point off the top four.

Hearts will no doubt have been in the mouths of all supporters at the break, after Jean-Ricner Bellegarde ensured the game was level going into the break.

However, three goals in the second half secured a seventh league victory of the 2025/26 campaign for the Red Devils – now extending their run to just one loss in the last nine outings.

One player deserves massive credit for his showing at Molineux on Monday night, with the first-team member massively excelling during the well-deserved triumph.

Bruno Fernandes’ stats against Wolves

Bruno Fernandes has often struggled throughout the ongoing campaign, as Amorim has decided to utilise him in a deeper-lying midfield role rather than the number ten position.

It’s required the Portuguese international to think more defensively, which has no doubt had an effect on his output within the final third in the Premier League.

However, his showing against Rob Edwards’ men was arguably his best of the season to date, with the 31-year-old notching two goals and an assist in the triumph.

Such a tally takes him to 10 combined goals and assists in his first 15 appearances of the season, but it was his underlying figures that highlighted his impressive display.

He featured for the entirety of the contest and registered 55 completed passes, whilst creating five chances for his teammates – with both the highest of any player in the meeting.

Bruno also completed 12 passes into the final third, and only misplaced eight passes in total, further highlighting his incredible performance with the ball at his feet.

However, without the ball, the midfielder was just as impressive, as seen by his tally of 100% tackles won, seven recoveries made and a total of five combined aerials and ground duels won.

The United player who is as undroppable as Bruno

As seen by his tally of 15 starts out of a possible 15 in 2025/26, there’s little denying that Bruno is undroppable and certainly one of Amorim’s most important players.

Numerous other players are starting to force themselves into such a bracket, with Bryan Mbeumo just one player who should be a starter week in and week out.

The Cameroonian international netted once again in the clash in the West Midlands, subsequently taking his league tally to six this campaign – the most of any player in the squad.

He registered four shots on target against the hosts, whilst also completing two dribbles – largely being a menace to the Wolves backline during the victory last night.

However, the backline has been a cause for concern over the last couple of weeks, especially with the absence of centre-back Matthijs de Ligt in the last two matches.

As a result, youngster Ayden Heaven has been thrown in at the deep end, but he’s managed to impress – with his showing at Molineux certainly one to remember.

It was just his second start of the season, but the 19-year-old appeared unfazed and produced numerous impressive figures that could make him undroppable within the manager’s current side.

The teenager registered 36 passes during his minutes on the pitch, subsequently achieving a completion rate of 100% – the highest of any player who started the match.

Ayden Heaven – stats against Wolves

Statistics

Tally

Minutes played

69

Touches

49

Passes completed

36

Pass accuracy

100%

Blocks made

1

Clearances made

7

Duels won

100%

Fouls won

2

Stats via FotMob

He also made seven clearances, three of which were with his head, whilst making three recoveries, which enabled him to be in the right place at the right time when called upon.

Heaven’s dominance at the heart of the three-man defence was further highlighted by his impressive tally of six combined duels won – also at a success rate of 100%.

It’s no mean feat for such a young defender to start in the middle of a Premier League defence, but Heaven has made it look routine over the last couple of weeks.

Given his tender age, expectations will no doubt need to be managed by Amorim, but it is certainly hard not to get excited by the youngster after his showing at Molineux.

He’s certainly done enough to cement his place in the starting eleven for the run-up to Christmas, potentially being a huge asset for the club in their hunt for Premier League glory in the years ahead.

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Club’s first List A title since 1994 comes a year on from the death of young spinner, Josh Baker

Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Sep-2025The waiting. The uncertainty. The fear. All of it made Worcestershire’s victory that much sweeter.Faced with a rank forecast above Trent Bridge, neither team knew if matters would be settled on the weekend, never mind Saturday. Worcestershire had restricted Hampshire to 237 for 7, then found out they’d be chasing a re-jigged 251 from 45 overs. That ended up being 188 from 27.The final pursuit began just 21 minutes before the 5:36pm cut-off for the minimum required 20-over chase. Such were the unknowns, even the ECB’s unofficial word on protocol (had the rain returned prior to the 5:15pm start) was refreshingly honest. How much play would spill into Sunday if a shorter second innings had been rubber-stamped the day before? They would broach that when it arrived, which was hopefully never.”At the halfway stage, I quite fancied the longer chase,” Jake Libby, Worcestershire’s captain, said afterwards, and understandably so, having entered this final with 50 overs in mind. Some in the Worcestershire dressing-room were anxious during the hours of hold-up. Ethan Brookes, who all but won the match with 57 off 34, spent most of it asleep.Both Libby and Brookes succumbed to Hampshire’s own unknown. Released from an England squad, having travelled overnight from Ireland, Scotland international Scott Currie dropped into Nottingham for his second Metro Bank appearance this season to take a maiden List A five-wicket haul.Libby’s nick through to Ben Brown swung the game back Hampshire’s way. Brookes’ top-edge, if not the end, was seemingly the start of it, as the first of three to fall to Currie in the innings’ penultimate over.Could Brookes have come in earlier? His penchant for a boundary – he has struck one every 5.25 balls this campaign – looked a necessity. As Libby and Kashif Ali were taking time to erect a platform with their less-than-a-run-a-ball stand of 62, you wondered where the meaningful strikes would come from. Brookes’ arrival, with 93 required from 61 balls, felt overdue.Matthew Waite and Henry Cullen produced the winning flourish for Worcestershire•Getty ImagesHis five fours and four sixes ensured it was just in the nick of time. Moreover, his calculations were spot on. Currie’s hugging of the wide line from the Radcliffe Road End made it “pretty much impossible” for Brookes to access his natural hitting arc to the shorter leg side. So, Brookes remained patient, as much for other bowlers to target as the deliveries they would send his way.”Abbott and Fuller, I think it was?” Brookes asked, mind still mush from the battle. “Uh, I can’t remember, this is all a bit of a blur… but I knew that they were going to go off-pace, because that’s what the wicket suited.” Brookes ensured the last overs of Abbott (25th) and Fuller (22nd) were taken for 15 and 16, respectively.As Libby recalled: “Ethan came out to me and, I remember, the sentence he said to me was: ‘I’m gonna try and do something special here’.” Such was Brookes’ flow state, he was able to buy back a few chances for Worcestershire to use when he had left. He also recouped time to lament his dismissal without missing the final throes, including Matthew Waite’s first-ball six over wide long on. The allrounder eventually finished unbeaten with 16 off five.”I literally took my emotion out in the dressing-room and then was like, right, there’s a game to watch still here,” Brookes said. “We know what we can do at the back end. He (Waite) has played a special knock as well there. People should not forget that.”Don’t worry, they won’t. Not the moment of glory, which took an age for the television umpire to confirm, not that anyone by this point was in a rush. Aside from Henry Cullen, who had gone from fearing his pull shot off Brad Wheal had been caught at backward square leg, to being adamant he had found the winning strike, based on Abbott’s subdued reaction having butted the boundary sponge.Libby did not celebrate to begin with. Stoic throughout this campaign, Worcestershire’s 50-over skipper ceded that his exact thoughts at the time remain hazy. The product, perhaps, of “a few elbows to the head” in the ensuing limbs.Josh Baker died in May last year at the age of 20•Stu Forster/Getty ImagesNot since 1994 have Worcestershire experienced List A glory, back when it was a 60-over competition. Their previous silverware, 2018’s Vitality Blast, was achieved with an entirely different XI. The only potential survivor, Brett D’Oliveira, rolled his ankle on Thursday in the dregs of a County Championship match against Durham that confirmed the club’s relegation back to Division Two.D’Oliveira had been Worcestershire’s leading run-scorer in the Metro Bank. He is also a totem of an organisation admired across the country for its family feel. A compliment, even as the English game careers towards a less emotive state.Brett and his lineage – from his trailblazing grandfather Basil, to his much-loved father, Damian, whose loss in 2014 was an emotional body blow – embody the soul of New Road. As such, there was no better person to be holding Josh Baker’s shirt as the trophy was lifted than Brett, having laid down his crutches.Baker’s death in May of last year at the age of 20 rocked the club. Hampshire captain Nick Gubbins highlighted how much of that tragedy reverberated beyond New Road. “Some things are bigger than cricket,” Gubbins said. “If there’s one team I would be happy to lose to, or as happy as you can be, it would be Worcestershire.”The logo of the JB33 foundation, set up in Baker’s honour by his parents, Lisa and Paul, adorns Worcestershire’s playing shirts. They carry him forward on both sides of their chest. On Saturday night, a squad, a supporter base and a family used the stage of a final to honour him.”This means a lot to a lot of people at the club,” Libby said. “Players, coaches, supporters, families, friends… and of course, Josh Baker, who we’ve worn proudly on the front of our shirts this season. And he is still very much in our thoughts.”Ironically, it was Libby who kept his teammates waiting at the end, as they lined up behind the trophy, waiting for their leader to finish a long post-match debrief on Sky. There was more waiting as the players queued to embrace Baker’s parents as their own, pushed to the front of the stand teeming with Worcestershire support.”It was very difficult,” said Brookes. “[It’s] heartbreaking what’s happened and… to share a really special memory with his parents in honour of Josh. It’s… yeah, it will definitely be a highlight of my career.”Related

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If there was one regret, it was that Worcestershire’s club journalist, John Curtis, was not there to witness the scenes. Curtis, who passed in April, was a beloved figure in the New Road press box, and every other he walked into. And these were not so much the days that made his job worthwhile – he truly loved them all – but what he wished for a team and group of players he never tired of championing. An avid chronicler of the county, this latest entry into their history books will carry his honour, too.Even without this victory, Worcestershire were the standout 50-over side of the 2025 season. Consistency of selection despite the Hundred – only Adam Hose graced that tournament for Trent Rockets before his horrific leg injury – saw them lose just once. For all the feeling associated with this success, it is no less than their cricket has deserved.It is also important to state that Saturday was third on Hampshire’s list of priorities, even if this is now a second defeat at this stage in the last three seasons, in a competition that has proved an effective schooling for their prodigious young talents. Having also lost in the Vitality Blast final last weekend, they now head into the final round of the County Championship fighting for their own Division One survival.Therein lies modern county cricket in a nutshell. Constantly vying with itself for relevance – be it status or simply a reason to be. Even a club of Hampshire’s stature, and all their freshly enhanced financial might, are not immune from that struggle.But on Saturday, in a competition that time is starting to forget, amid great uncertainty around the future relevance of the English county game, Worcestershire and all whom they hold dear were able to rise above it all for their own, deserved moment.

Everton are now reportedly racing to sign a La Liga star ahead of both Leeds United and Juventus in the January transfer window.

Everton join race to sign Conor Gallagher

La Liga seems to be where it’s at for Everton ahead of the January transfer window, with reports now claiming that they’ve joined the race to sign Conor Gallagher.

The Ateltico Madrid midfielder has put the Premier League on high alert as he looks to leave the Spanish club this winter, and Everton could yet secure his signature.

A move for the England international would highlight the progress that the Toffees have made since moving into the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Currently sat 10th, David Moyes’ side are just three points off Chelsea in fourth and there’s every chance that they could push for a shock European place if their current form continues.

It’s worth noting that Gallagher’s not the only one on Friedkin’s radar ahead of January, either. The Toffees are in search of reinforcements across the pitch, perhaps starting with their frontline.

Whilst Thierno Barry is beginning to show glimpses of his quality, he remains without a goal after securing a £27m move from Villarreal in the summer. As such, Everton have reportedly set their sights on signing Franculino Dju ahead of Bayern Munuch.

Then comes the task of adding to Moyes’ backline and that has reportedly seen club chiefs turn their focus towards welcoming impressive Real Betis centre-back Natan.

Everton join race to sign Natan

As reported in Spain, Everton are now ready to compete in the race to sign Natan against both Leeds United and Juventus. The Real Betis defender has impressed in La Liga this season and is set to cost any potential suitor around €40m (£35m) in the January transfer window.

Dubbed a “physical” centre-back by Como scout Ben Mattinson, the South American has already played in Italy with Napoli and Spain with Real Betis. Now, a Premier League move could be calling, as Everton and Leeds do battle for his signature.

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Standing at 6’2, the 24-year-old would certainly fit the part at Everton, who have a number of aerial dominators in Moyes’ backline as it is. There’s every chance that Natan would receive the game time that he’s after, too, given that Jarrad Branthwaite continues to struggle with injuries.

If the Toffees are to push into the European places this season then further investment will be the key. Whether it’s Natan, Gallagher or Dju in January, Friedkin would be wise to repeat their summer work and add quality in depth to Moyes’ side this winter.

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Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has offered his thoughts on Xavi Simons and his performances in training, while addressing the decision to bench him in Spurs’ last four matches.

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Spurs welcome Brentford to north London on Saturday, desperately needing to end a dismal run that has seen them plummet to 11th in the Premier League table with just 19 points from 14 games.

Frank’s side approach this clash winless in their last five league outings, including three defeats.

Cristian Romero’s dramatic late overhead kick salvaged a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United in their last match, with a controversial VAR penalty to Newcastle denying them all three points.

Their home form has completely collapsed too, with the club now going six consecutive league matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium without a single victory.

16. Burnley

2

1

4

7

-2

17. Nottingham Forest

2

1

4

7

-5

18. West Ham

2

0

5

6

-9

19. Tottenham

1

2

4

5

-1

20. Wolves

0

1

6

1

-11

That shocking run includes 10 home defeats throughout the entire calendar year of 2025, matching the club’s worst-ever records for home losses in a single year.

Most concerning was their last appearance on home soil, where Fulham raced into a two-goal lead within the opening six minutes before securing a 2-1 victory.

The final whistle brought a cacophony of boos ringing around the stadium, aimed squarely at Frank and his struggling squad.

The ghosts of their 4-1 capitulation at Arsenal last month continue to haunt the team. During that humbling derby defeat, Tottenham managed an expected goals figure of just 0.07, one of their lowest outputs this season, highlighting their serious lack of creativity which has become a concern.

Injury problems compound Frank’s difficulties.

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Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski remain sidelined, robbing Spurs of crucial attacking impetus, with James Maddison not expected back until the new year. Meanwhile, Yves Bissouma also has no set return date yet.

The Lilywhites really need Simons to step up right now after his marquee £55 million move from RB Leipzig, but the Dutchman has scarcely been given a chance lately.

Simons’ highlights in a Spurs jersey are few and far between, with the ex-PSG sensation putting in a Player of the Match display against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League and notching an assist against West Ham way back in September.

That is, however, the sum of his contribution this season, with the ex-Eredivisie starlet attracting criticism.

Thomas Frank makes Xavi Simons training claim in response to Tottenham snubs

Simons could end up costing the club £125 million when factoring in wages, agent’s fees and other add-ons over a potential seven-year contract, but to be fair to him, it’s hard to justify that price with limited game time.

Speaking in his latest press conference, Frank addressed why he hasn’t been starting for Simons for Tottenham lately — claiming it is down to a matter of form with alternatives and different personnel for contrasting matches.

The Dane also shared how Simons has been impressing in Tottenham training lately, so it is absolutely not a question of work ethic.

With the pressure on Simons to perform, Saturday sets the perfect stage, and he could become a hero by helping to arrest the club’s barren home form through a convincing display against Frank’s former club.

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