Sport news in brief
Trump beats Williams to become Masters champion
Judd Trump beat Mark Williams 10-8 to win the Cazoo Masters at Alexandra Palace yesterday. Trump trailed 8-7 but won three frames in a row to clinch the first prize of £250,000, wrapping up victory with a clearance of 126. It gives the Bristolian a second Masters success – he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan to claim the title four years ago. “This is by far my best ever win. The way I played this week is not my best, this is my best ever performance to grind out and win this,” Trump said. Williams said: “I’m not a
young man anymore but I can still give these youngsters a run for their money!”
Chelsea double wages to hijack Arsenal transfer of Shakhtar star
Mykhailo Mudryk’s transfer was successfully hijacked by Chelsea after the club offered him more than double the wages Arsenal were prepared to provide and a guaranteed €70m (£62m) to Shakhtar Donetsk, with €30m add-ons based primarily on team performance. The 22-year-old, who was announced by the Stamford Bridge club during their Premier League game with Crystal Palace yesterday, had seemed set for north London as late as Thursday but it was always Chelsea’s intention to go in big for the player.
The Independent has been told Mudryk will be on more than £100,000 a week, with Arsenal having initially gone up to £50,000 a week. Shakhtar Donetsk were, meanwhile, intent on as high a fee as possible due to the aggravation that they had lost out on a lot of potential sales due to Fifa’s ruling that foreign players could leave Ukraine for free after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the country.
While Arsenal valued the player, and there is some irritation within the club at how the manner their deal has been hijacked, the Premier League leaders were insistent there was a level they wouldn’t go beyond. The addition of Mudryk will mean an initial outlay of more than £100m from Chelsea this month, with more to follow in future if Mudryk’s additional payments are triggered.
Meanwhile, the pressure eased on Chelsea manager Graham Potter as his side yesterday claimed just a second Premier League victory since October with a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. Kai Havertz headed the winning goal just after the hour with a vital win to cut the gap on the top four to eight points.
England clinch Jamaica series with hard-fought win
In their series decider, England fought back from a half-time deficit to beat Jamaica 63-59. With the three-match series tied 11, there was a keen sense of anticipation at a sold-out Copper Box Arena. England made two changes from the side beaten in the second game, with Geva Mentor making her first start of the series and skipper Natalie Metcalf recalled at wing attack. Metcalf was influential as England took a four-goal lead into the second quarter.
But Jamaica, ranked fourth in the world and one place below the Vitality Roses, surged back for a slender 31-30 lead at the halfway stage. England edged the final two quarters and Jamaica’s task was made harder by the suspension of wing defence Crystal Plummer for continuous obstruction. Metcalf said: “I feel really emotional. To secure the series on home soil, I’m really proud.” PA
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