Unless there is a major tournament, international breaks can be pretty boring for fans, but this time, there has been something to cheer for Arsenal fans.

The Gunners’ latest academy gem, Myles Lewis-Skelly, was a surprise inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad last week, so it was even more of a surprise when he was named in the starting lineup on Friday night.

As the Emirates faithful are now accustomed to seeing, the teenage sensation looked entirely at home in the first-team and even scored his first goal for the country.

It was the perfect introduction to international football for the young star, but there might be even more to come from Hale End, as another of their most exciting prospects looks destined to be the youngest Arsenal player to win a senior England cap, and it’s not Ethan Nwaneri.

Arsenal's young England stars of yesteryear

While Lewis-Skelly is the first to come along in a little while now, Arsenal have seen a number of their teenage talents make their way into the senior England side in the past, with perhaps the most notable example being Theo Walcott.

The now-retired attacker joined the Gunners in a £5m deal from Southampton in January 2006, and while he didn’t make a single first-team appearance for the rest of the season, he made his England debut in a friendly against Hungary on May 30th, at just 17 years and 75 days old, making him the youngest Arsenal player to make a senior England appearance – for now.

Then, as if that wasn’t enough, the teenager was included in the 2006 World Cup squad, even if he never got onto the pitch in Germany.

30/05/2006

Theo Walcott

Hungary

17y, 75d

21/03/2025

Myles Lewis-Skelly

Albania

18, 176d

11/08/2010

Jack Wilshere

Hungary

18y, 222d

26/05/2012

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Norway

18y, 285d

08/10/2020

Bukayo Saka

Wales

19y, 33d

The third youngest Gooner to represent the Three Lions, behind Lewis-Skelly, was fellow Hale End icon Jack Wilshere, who debuted at 18 years and 222 days old on August 11th 2010, against Hungary.

At one point, it looked like Wilshere was heading for the very top of the game, and he did manage to win 34 senior caps for the national side, but persistent injuries derailed what should have been an incredible career and ultimately forced him into early retirement in 2022.

However, the former fan favourite will at least have his place on the list of Arsenal youngsters to play for the national team, although with a certain youngster coming up through the ranks at Hale End, he might not be the third youngest for much longer.

Arsenal's future England star

So, the first thing to say is that we are pretty certain Nwaneri will make the first of many appearances for England in the coming months, but at 18 years old, he simply can’t be the Gunners’ youngest Three Lions representative.

Max Dowman, on the other hand, certainly could be.

Now, we should exercise some caution here, as the Chelmsford-born gem is still just 15 years old, and predicting the future of young footballers is hardly a science, but in this case, the Hale Ender looks destined for stardom.

Indeed, despite being 14 at the start of the season, the academy’s “crown jewel,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has been training with the first team for some time now.

Moreover, he is already thriving with the U18s, scoring six goals and providing seven assists in 18 games.

Appearances

18

4

1

Goals

6

1

0

Assists

7

0

0

Goal Involvements per Game

0.72

0.25

0.00

In the process, he has become the youngest player to score in a UEFA Youth League Game in September and has already made one appearance for the U21s.

On top of all that, the incredible youngster is reportedly being mentored by Declan Rice, who described him as “the best 15-year-old in the country” while the aforementioned Kulig has suggested he is the ‘most exciting’ teenage talent to emerge on the scene since Lamine Yamal.

Ultimately, Arsenal have a proud track record of producing youngsters who go on to play for England, and with how fast Downman is currently developing, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him break Walcott’s record and become the club’s youngest ever Three Lions representative.

Arsenal's "huge talent" was the original Lewis-Skelly, then he left for £0

Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly has made quite the impression at club and international level this season.

ByMatt Dawson Mar 23, 2025

Crystal Palace have confirmed the departure of sporting director Dougie Freedman, and now the Eagles are eyeing up a controversial move in a bid to replace him, according to a recent report.

Freedman leaves Selhurst Park for Saudi Arabia

The 50-year-old has been with the South Londoners since 2017 and has been at the heart of their recent success off the pitch in terms of bringing players such as Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton, and Dean Henderson to the club.

Crystal Palace eyeing Griezmann-esque £21m forward who's an "absolute star"

The Eagles are closely following a young forward who has been compared to Antoine Griezmann.

By
Dominic Lund

Mar 12, 2025

Freedman was linked with moves to Manchester United and Newcastle United in the past to take up similar roles, but he remained at Crystal Palace and continued to work with Steve Parish. However, on Monday, that came to an end, as he has now left his role at Palace to take up a role overseas, believed to be in Saudi Arabia.

Palace confirmed Freedman’s departure in a statement on their official website, in which Freedman also spoke and stated how much of an “honour” it had been to work at Palace, and he is “incredibly proud” of the work that has been done. “I would like to extend my thanks to Steve Parish, the other owners and to all the staff, managers and players who have been at the club during my time here. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning from and working alongside you all.

“It’s been an honour to represent the club, and I am incredibly proud of the work that’s been done, with the Chairman’s support, in growing the football club into its current position. To be leaving the club with a squad full of exciting talent led by an excellent manager, I truly believe the foundations are in place to be built upon.

“Finally, a huge thank you to all the fans for your continued support and passion – especially with how you’ve helped new signings and academy products settle into life at Selhurst Park by supporting and getting behind the team.

“Crystal Palace is and will always remain in my heart, and I will continue to look for results and follow the club’s progress closely.”

Crystal Palace eyeing controversial move to replace Freedman

As Freedman’s departure has now been confirmed, according to The Daily Mail, Parish and Crystal Palace are eyeing up Iain Moody to replace the 50-year-old.

The report states that Palace are looking to re-shape their recruitment team, and Moody is likely to take up a more prominent position. Moody has been working as a managing director at Sapienza Football Consulting for the last 10 years and remains close to Parish.

Moody has worked with the Eagles before, but his time with the club was very controversial. He was the club’s sporting director for 11 months between 2013 and 2014 before he resigned under a very big cloud after it was alleged he had sent racist, homophobic, and sexist text messages to Malky Mackay, who he had worked with at Cardiff City.

Since his exit, Moody has been back at Selhurst Park to watch Crystal Palace games, and given his relationship with Parish, he could be one to watch as a replacement for Freedman.

The owner of Dukes has pledged to investigate the controversial ball change in Australia’s second innings during their 49-run defeat in the fifth men’s Ashes Test at The Oval, while casting doubt on a theory that a five-year-old replacement ball might have been used.The ball was changed in the 37th over of Australia’s chase, after Usman Khawaja was hit on the helmet by a Mark Wood bouncer. Khawaja said after Australia’s defeat that he had immediately queried the choice of replacement ball – which looked visibly newer than the previous one – with umpire Kumar Dharmasena.Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain, labelled the choice of replacement ball “a huge blunder that needs to be investigated” while Zak Crawley, the England opener, described it as “a good break for us [which] probably made the difference”.Related

• Is this Ashes up there with 2005?

• Ball change had 'a significant bearing' on Oval result, says McDonald

• Usman Khawaja, Ricky Ponting query controversial ball-change

Dilip Jajodia, the owner of British Cricket Limited, the company which manufactures the Dukes ball, told CODE Sports: “I’m going to investigate myself, because it affects me … my name is at stake so it’s important they don’t misallege something wrong with the ball.”CODE Sports reported that “whispers have emanated out of the English camp” since the conclusion of the Test suggesting that the ball might have been part of the 2018 or 2019 batches of Dukes, which offered more for seam bowlers, though Jajodia suggested that was unlikely.”I can’t imagine they would risk putting a ball in there with a different date on it,” Jajodia said. “Frankly the match referee should be on top of it. We do bang that number in quite hard, so even if the gold comes off, the ball is imprinted. It wouldn’t be easy to get rid of it. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s not likely.”Ponting was among those who questioned whether a sufficiently broad range of balls had been presented to the umpires to choose a replacement ball. But Jajodia explained that his company supplies balls directly to venues rather than to the ECB or the ICC.”On this particular occasion, the balls would be done by Surrey,” he said. “Surrey get the supply of balls from us before the season starts and then they start knocking them in, getting them into wear and tear… in my view, they’re probably not doing it that accurately.”

Tottenham could look to bring in Yoane Wissa in addition to Bryan Mbeumo having already taken head coach Thomas Frank from Brentford.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Tottenham targeting Wissa
• Want to sign Mbeumo from Brentford too
• Frank wants reunion at Spurs

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Tottenham have begun talks to sign Brentford star Mbeumo, while Wissa could be next following on from Frank’s appointment as head coach. The duo, who scored 39 Premier League goals between them last season, are high on Frank’s wish list as he looks to reshape Spurs’ attack, with players he is fairly familiar with from the Gtech Community Stadium.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mbeumo is also a target for Manchester United, who recently had a bid worth up to £55 million rejected. Brentford value the Cameroon international at over £60m and will let him leave if the price is right. Spurs are hopeful Frank’s strong relationship with Mbeumo, whom he signed in 2019 at Brentford, could give them the edge.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  TELL ME MORE…

  While Mbeumo is seen as a priority target, Spurs have also held internal discussions over Wissa, per . Nottingham Forest remain interested in the 28-year-old forward as well.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

  Tottenham are expected to step up their pursuit of both players in the coming weeks. Additionally, they’re also monitoring Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.

MatériaMais Notícias

Tiquinho Soares foi o protagonista do treino do Botafogo nesta terça-feira. O atacante marcou presença na reapresentação do Alvinegro após a derrota para o Flamengo. As atividades representam o começo da preparação para o jogo contra o Fortaleza, no próximo domingo, pelo Brasileirão.

+Patrick de Paula ‘some’ no Botafogo e completa um mês sem jogar

Foi o primeiro treino do camisa 9 com o restante do grupo. Ele chegou ao Glorioso com um problema muscular após se lesionar no último jogo que fez pelo Olympiacos-GRE.

O atacante já mostrou serviço no primeiro treinamento. Tiquinho Soares mostrou faro de gol e marcou um gol de cabeça (veja no vídeo acima!), uma das principais características que possui.

Se continuar evoluindo e em uma recuperação rápida, a tendência é que Tiquinho seja relacionado para a partida de domingo na Arena Castelão.

RelacionadasBotafogoBotafogo encaminha saída de Vinícius Lopes para clube belga de John TextorBotafogo30/08/2022BotafogoTécnico do São Paulo sub-20, Alex confia em melhora do Botafogo: ‘Luís Castro irá ajustar tudo’Botafogo30/08/2022BotafogoBotafogo ‘rema contra a maré’ em cenário de pressão com Luís CastroBotafogo29/08/2022

يرتبط أحد نجوم نادي ليفربول بالانضمام لصفوف ريال مدريد لدعم خط دفاعه خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية.

وكان ريال مدريد قد أعلن تعاقده مع فرانكو ماستانتونو من صفوف ريفر بلات وترينت أرنولد من صفوف ليفربول ودين هويسن من صفوف بورنموث.

اقرأ أيضاً.. لم يحدث من قبل.. ليفربول يعلن قرارًا استثنائيًا بشأن جوتا

ووضع ريال مدريد المدافع الفرنسي إبراهيما كوناتي كأحد أهدافه الصيفية بعد سوء المستوى الدفاعي للاعبيه في كأس العالم للأندية.

وشارك ريال مدريد في كأس العالم للأندية، لكنه تعرض لهزيمة ثقيلة ضد باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي برباعية نظيفة في نصف النهائي.

ووفقاً لصحيفة “الماركا” الإسبانية فقد وافق ليفربول على رحيل كوناتي ولكن النادي الإنجليزي يرفض رحيل اللاعب إلى صفوف ريال مدريد.

وقد أبلغ قلب دفاع منتخب فرنسا إدارة ناديه ليفربول أنه لا يستبعد الرحيل عن صفوف الريدز هذا الصيف.

ويدرك كوناتي رغبة ليفربول في الاستفادة مالياً من هذه الصفقة وأن إدارة النادي قلقة بشأن الوضع المرتقب.

وينتهي عقد كوناتي مع ليفربول في صيف 2026 ، ويعلم المدافع الفرنسي أنه بحاجة للاستقرار على وجهته قبل انطلاق منافسات كأس العالم في الولايات المتحدة.

There are some notable omissions from the shirt printing list for Manchester United's new home kit ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Man Utd release new home kitSome players left off squad listSummer shake-up taking placeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils have released their new home kit but two players have been left off the list of first-team stars available to be printed on the shirt at the United Store website, according to the . Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's no sign of either Jadon Sancho or Antony's name on the list when it comes to customising the new jersey. Both players were sent out on loan last season and are expected to be offloaded again this summer. Interestingly, Marcus Rashford's name is on the list, even though he appears to be in the same situation.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ruben Amorim is trying to reshape his squad after a dismal season. Matheus Cunha has already arrived from Wolves, while Bryan Mbeumo is also a top target for the Red Devils. A host of players have also been released including Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans.

DID YOU KNOW?

Alejandro Garnacho is another player who is being tipped to leave United this summer. The Argentine has reportedly attracted interest from clubs in the Premier League and abroad.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

Fans will be able to catch a glimpse of the players in their new kit next month when the Red Devils return for pre-season. Amorim's team take on Leeds United first up in Sweden.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s Roelof van der Merwe, the joint-leading wicket-taker of the last season, makes himself unavailable

Hemant Brar03-Aug-2023

The SA20 mini-auction ahead of the 2024 season will take place in Johannesburg on September 27. On the day of the auction, a total of 21 slots are to be filled, six of those reserved for rookie players. A rookie player is someone who is a South African under the age of 22 and has not played in the SA20 previously.Overall, in a squad of 19, each team is required to have a minimum of ten South African players, a maximum of seven overseas players and a rookie player. The teams will have an additional R5.1 million (USD 274,000 approx) added to last time’s purse of R39.1 million (USD 2.1 million approx).Defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape will be without Roelof van der Merwe this time as he has made himself unavailable. Van der Merwe was the joint-highest wicket-taker last season with 20 scalps.Related

SA20 2024 starts on January 10, will clash with Test series in NZ

Moeen Ali moves to SA20 as teams announce retentions, fresh signings

SA20 teams given R39.1 million salary purse to build squads

In another update, Paarl Royals have contracted Kwena Maphaka. At 17, the left-arm seamer from Johannesburg becomes the youngest player to be signed in the league.Most teams have retained their core from the inaugural season. Durban’s Super Giants have the fewest slots to fill, two, and they have R1.675 million for that.Runners-up Pretoria Capitals have to sign the most number of players – five, out of which four could be overseas – and also the biggest purse available (R9.737 million).In addition to 21 picks on the auction day, four teams – Super Giants, Capitals, Royals and Joburg Super Kings – need to pick their wild-card players as well, as they either incorporated their season 1 wild cards into the main squad or, in the case of Super Giants, released them. The last date to do so is December 30. The wild-card players’ salaries are over and above the team purse.Here is how the squads line up before the mini-auction.Durban’s Super GiantsSquad: Prenelan Subrayen, Quinton de Kock, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Abbott, Heinrich Klaasen, JJ Smuts, Wiaan Mulder, Matthew Breetzke, Junior Dala, Keemo Paul, Naveen-ul-Haq, Kyle Mayers, Reece Topley, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dilshan MadushankaSquad size: 16 (10 South Africans, 6 overseas)
Slots to be filled: 2
Purse available: R1.675 million (USD 90,000 approx)Joburg Super KingsSquad: Gerald Coetzee, Faf du Plessis, Reeza Hendricks, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger, Moeen Ali, David Wiese, Zahir Khan, Sam Cook, Leus du Plooy, Donovan Ferreira, Aaron Phangiso, Sibonelo Makhanya, Kyle SimmondsSquad size: 14 (9 South Africans, 5 overseas)
Slots to be filled: 4
Purse available: R6.1 million (USD 327,000 approx)MI Cape TownSquad: Dewald Brevis, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Delano Potgieter, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Beuran Hendricks, Duan Jansen, Grant Roelofsen, Jofra Archer (wild card), Rashid Khan, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Tom Banton, Olly StoneSquad size: 15 (9 South Africans, 6 overseas)
Slots to be filled: 4
Purse available: R5.05 million (USD 271,000 approx)Paarl RoyalsSquad: Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dane Vilas, Bjorn Fortuin, Mitchell Van Buuren, Wihan Lubbe, Ferisco Adams, Codi Yusuf, Evan Jones, Jos Buttler, Obed McCoy, Jason RoySquad size: 15 (12 South Africans, 3 overseas)
Slots to be filled: 3
Purse available: R8.865 million (USD 475,000 approx)Pretoria CapitalsSquad: Migael Pretorius, Anrich Nortje, Rilee Rossouw, Colin Ingram, Senuran Muthusamy, Wayne Parnell, Theunis de Bruyn, Eathan Bosch, Shane Dadswell, Corbin Bosch, Jimmy Neesham, Adil Rashid, William JacksSquad size: 13 (10 South Africans, 3 overseas)
Slots to be filled: 5
Purse available: R9.737 million (USD 522,000 approx)Sunrisers Eastern CapeSquad: Ottniel Baartman, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs, Sisanda Magala, Simon Harmer, Temba Bavuma, Sarel Erwee, Jordan Hermann, Aya Gqamane, Liam Dawson, Brydon Carse, Dawid Malan, Adam Rossington, Tom Abell, Craig Overton (wild card)Squad size: 16 (10 South Africans, 6 overseas)
Slots to be filled: 3
Purse available: R1.865 million (USD 100,000 approx)

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras é líder do Brasileirão há 14 rodadas seguidas e evidentemente pretende levar essa posição até o término dos seus 38 jogos no campeonato. Porém, o Alviverde vem passando por “provas de fogo” geradas pela tabela, como por exemplo enfrentar dois vice-líderes diferentes nas últimas duas rodadas consecutivas. No entanto, isso não para por aí, já que terá pela frente sua terceira “final antecipada”.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras dá ‘spoiler’ do novo terceiro uniforme e anuncia data de lançamentoPalmeiras22/08/2022PalmeirasPalmeiras apresenta maior marca de sócios-torcedores desde 2015Palmeiras22/08/2022Futebol NacionalPalmeiras repudia violência no Allianz Parque, mas fala em ‘atitude temerária’ de infiltradoFutebol Nacional22/08/2022

GALERIA
> Confira os públicos do Palmeiras no Allianz Parque em 2022

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão-2022 clicando aqui

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

No último domingo, o Verdão empatou em 1 a 1 com um de seus principais concorrentes diretos pelo título da competição: o Flamengo. Com isso, a distância para o rival carioca ficou em nove pontos. O resultado foi considerado bom para o time de Abel Ferreira, que mesmo sem abrir os 12 pontos que a vitória ofereceria, evitou que esse adversário encurtasse a vantagem para a liderança.

Mas isso não foi novidade, pois antes de pegar o Rubro-Negro (vice-líder na 23ª rodada), o Palmeiras enfrentou o Corinthians na rodada anterior, na qual o rival era o segundo colocado com seis pontos atrás. No confronto direto, melhor para o Alviverde, que venceu por 1 a 0 e aumentou a vantagem para nove pontos naquele dia.

Sendo assim, em duas “finais antecipadas”, o Palmeiras passou por dois adversários diretos (Corinthians e Flamengo) na 22ª e na 23ª rodada, respectivamente, e conquistou resultados importantes em sua caminhada para o sonhado título do Campeonato Brasileiro. Somou quatro pontos e evitou que o adversário pontuasse mais.

Acontece que essa sequência de decisões ainda não cessou para o Verdão. Na 24ª rodada, no próximo sábado, a equipe paulista vai até o Maracanã enfrentar o Fluminense, que é o atual vice-líder do Brasileirão, oito ponto atrás. Atualmente, o Tricolor é o principal concorrente do Alviverde ao título por conta da distância na tabela do campeonato.

Como é possível notar, será o terceiro vice-líder diferente que o Palmeiras enfrenta em três rodadas consecutivas, ou seja, uma sequência de decisões que podem influenciar diretamente nos rumos da competição. Caso passe por mais uma batalha dessa, o time de Abel Ferreira dará mais um grande passo em direção ao título.

Ao mesmo tempo, se sair derrotado, perderá uma boa parte de sua vantagem e deixará o campeonato aberto para outros candidatos, incluindo Flamengo e Corinthians, que podem se aproximar se vencerem seus jogos no fim de semana. Para quem acha que o Verdão “decidiu” sua vida em seus últimos dois jogos, se engana, pois é possível ver que mais uma “prova de fogo” virá pela frente.

Restam ainda 15 rodadas para o término do Campeonato Brasileiro, ou seja, além desses confrontos diretos, o Palmeiras tem praticamente um turno inteiro para se sustentar na ponta da tabela enfrentando paradas duríssimas, mesmo que não estejam entre os primeiros colocados. Tanto dentro do clube como entre a torcida, todos sabem que a competição está muito longe de ser conquistada e serão mais 15 finais daqui para frente em busca do objetivo.

Distância do Palmeiras para o G5:

1) Palmeiras – 49 pontos
2) Fluminense – 8 pontos a menos
3) Flamengo – 9 pontos a menos
4) Corinthians – 10 pontos a menos
5) Internacional – 10 pontos a menos
6) Athletico-PR – 11 pontos a menos
7) Atlético-MG – 14 pontos a menos
8) Santos – 16 pontos a menos

Show-stealing 116* leads reigning champions home with 17 overs to spare and into second place on table

ECB Reporters Network02-Jul-2023Lauren Winfield-Hill hit a match-winning century as the Northern Diamonds beat South East Stars by seven wickets in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Beckenham on Sunday.The England star produced a show-stealing 116 not out as the reigning champions cruised home with 17 overs to spare, leapfrogging the Stars into second place in the table.Earlier Grace Hall took her best senior figures of 4 for 33 and claimed a run out on her competition debut as the Stars were bowled out for 205 in 46 overs. At one point the hosts looked unlikely to reach three figures, but they were rescued by Chloe Hill, who hit 63 from 80 balls and put on 81 for the seventh wicket with Bethan Miles.Both sides were depleted by international call-ups, but it was Winfield-Hill’s release from the Ashes squad that proved pivotal as she passed 50 for the ninth time in this competition since the start of the 2022 season. Chloe Tryon was the Diamonds’ next-highest scorer with 57 not out as the visitors claimed a bonus point win, closing on 209 for 3.Stars chose to bat in blustery conditions but lost Kira Chathli early when she was caught behind off Jessica Woolston for 11.Alexa Stonehouse then became Woolston’s second victim when she fell to a sharp one-handed catch by Winfield-Hill for 9.The Stars’ new overseas player Tazmin Brits looked comfortable until she was lbw to Katie Levick for 17 and Levick struck again when Jemima Spence edged her to Tryon at first slip for 13.Hall, displaying her Malinga-esque action for the first time in the RHFT, took her first wicket when she had Kalea Moore caught behind for a three-ball duck and when Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones was caught and bowled by Emma Marlow for 10 the Stars were on 91 for 6 with only 24.1 overs bowled.Hill, however, was determined to give them something to defend. She passed 50 when she drove Lizzie Scott through mid-on for four and mounted a salvage operation alongside Miles, who hung around for 28 from 45 balls before an eventful 39th over.Hall bowled 11 deliveries, including five wides and went for 16, but crucially took two wickets. Miles was caught at mid on by Phoebe Turner off the first legitimate delivery and Darcie Carter was then bowled for two.In her next over Hall finally brought Hill’s best innings in regional cricket to an end, getting her caught by Turner at mid-wicket, concluding a spell of three wickets in 15 deliveries.Last-wicket duo Priyanazz Chatterji and Danni Gregory took the score past the 200 mark before the latter was run out by Hall, but the total looked low as soon as the visitors started to bat.The Diamonds’ openers had raced to 33 without loss in the fourth when Sterre Kalis stopped halfway down the wicket in pursuit of a single and was run out by Spence for six.Winfield-Hill took a single from Gregory to reach 50 but lost another partner when Marlow was lbw to Carter for 20.Carter claimed her second wicket when Miles took a brilliant one-handed catch at wide mid-on to remove Turner for two but that was as good as it got for the Stars.Tryon came in and bashed 50 from 52 balls, reaching the landmark in the 32nd over with a six back over Stonehouse’s head. Three balls later Winfield-Hill pulled Stonehouse for four through backward square leg to reach three figures and with the scores level she clinched the win when she hit Gregory for four through third.Winfield-Hill, who was practising with the England squad at Edgbaston minutes before their opening T20I against Australia on Saturday evening, said: “When the England team was discussed on Friday I mentioned to [head coach] John Lewis yesterday if I could leave straight after the game, so I came down late last night and got in this morning.”As soon as I knew I wasn’t in the England XI I thought, ‘Where else can I get some cricket?’ and also the discussion has been that I am away Bess Heath’s away, Holly [Armitage] is away [with England A] so you lose both your keepers and your captains. So I made a conscious effort to come down and captain and try to continue our good run.”I got in about half one last night and hit the pillow at about two a.m. I did actually get a few hours sleep and I’m pretty tired now but it’s all in a good cause, isn’t it?”