Sporting

Eddie Howe was just a couple of days into an end-of-season break when the Newcastle head coach’s phone “exploded” last summer.

Sporting director Paul Mitchell had just announced that he was departing.

While there were initial tensions between the pair, Howe was the first to recognise that such a figure “protects the manager from a lot of things”.

That is why the arrival of Ross Wilson is so significant for Newcastle.

Rather than rushing into the appointment – despite the need for a sporting director during a draining transfer window – Newcastle have been keen to recruit the right person.

In Ross Wilson, who already has a good relationship with Howe, they feel they have that man.

It will fall to Wilson to help plot the medium to long-term strategy of the club.

And, after a period of boardroom upheaval, Newcastle will hope the Scot will stick around long enough to see that vision through.

PLANS for Riyadh Season 2025 have been formally announced – with WWE and darts events now on the agenda.

As part of the Middle Eastern sporting bonanza which starts this week and runs until early next year, Saudi Arabia will host the Royal Rumble, becoming the first nation outside of North America to take on a marquee WWE event.

4

4

They are also expected to stage Wrestlemania in 2027.

The Kingdom will host the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters in January as part of the World Series of Darts.

The PDC has never taken a professional darts event to Saudi before.

Chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced the plans for Riyadh Season 2025 in a press conference on Sunday.

Alalshikh has previously said he wants to try something “crazy” with darts – but it is not yet clear what he has up his sleeve.

The Riyadh Season Snooker Championship remains on the calendar, along with high-profile events in tennis and boxing.

Six Kings Slam is one of the most lucrative events on the tennis circuit, with Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz all set to feature.

Players are guaranteed £1.1million just for competing, with the winner banking an eye-watering £4.5m.

SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN

Ring IV will feature boxing showdowns including David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde and Brian Norman Jr. vs Devin Haney.

A parade in Boulevard City will kick off Riyadh Season 2025 on October 10.

The entertainment extravaganza will feature 15 global championships as well as 34 exhibitions and festivals.

And Alalshikh estimates that its brand value has reached £2.4BILLION.

Organisers said: “Riyadh Season 2025 will be a defining milestone in the history of global entertainment, emphasising that Riyadh has become the emblem of a new era of creativity, culture, and international entertainment excellence.”

4

4

A SWARM of flying bugs halted the Women’s Cricket World Cup grudge match between India and Pakistan.

Players from both sides tried to fix the problem by waving towels and spraying bug repellent.

5

5

But organisers called for heavy duty measures when India were 154 for four in the 34th over of the group match.

With the insect invasion in full swing, a man in a gas mask emerged to fumigate the pitch with an industrial grade bug spray cannon.

Both sets of players were forced to leave the field and fans had to sit through a 15-minute delay.

But even that didn’t seem to have the desired effect.

Once play resumed, it wasn’t long before another stoppage was brought on by a bug flying into the eye of Pakistani bowler Rameen Shamim.

Indian batters repeatedly moaned to the umpire about being affected by the insects.

Unsurprisingly, there is nothing written into cricket law to guide umpires when bugs bother the players.

But they are advised to signal a dead ball if a player is “disadvantaged by an animal within the field of play”.

SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN

India ended up winning the clash with their geographical neighbours by 88 runs.

The match was played on neutral ground in Colombo, Sri Lanka, due to political tension between the two nations.

And there were no handshakes between the players before the action got underway.

Colombo is proving to be a troublesome venue for cricket matches of late.

On Saturday, the match between Sri Lanka and Australia was washed out without a single ball being bowled due to heavy rain.

5

5

5