Just Eat and Autotrader among firms investigated in fake reviews probe

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1 week ago

March 27, 2026

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The UK’s competition watchdog says it is looking at five firms in its investigation into misleading online reviews.

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County cricket day two: Somerset v Notts, Leicestershire v Sussex and more – live | Cricket

Published

38 minutes ago

April 4, 2026

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Key events

Five wickets for Pennington!

The first five-fer of the season! Pennington polished off the Somerset tail, just short of a third batting point. Somerset 347 all out. Can Overton, who bashed 60 not out with the bat, now do it with the ball too? Notts 0-0

Fifty for Jake Weatherald

A really impressive debut Championship innings from Jake Weatherald in overcast conditions and on a quite juicy pitch. Chilly too. His nut brown arms tell the tale of a summer spent playing cricket in very different conditions. Fifty from 65 balls, seven fours. Leicestershire 88 for two.

A good start for Warwicks

At Edgbaston, Surrey were finally dismissed for 328 – a fabulous recovery from 65 for six. Three wickets for Bamber, two each for Woakes, Thompson, Gilchrist and Barnard.

Warwickshire have gritted their teeth after the disappointment and made a good start to their innings. Yates and Davies have faced 50 balls a piece, one has 13, the other 40 – I’ll let you guess which is which. Warwicks 66 for 0.

A hundred for Matt Critchley!

A thirteenth first-class century for Critchley, but he’s lost Allison for 80, at last a result for the short stuff from Hants. Essex 259 for four.

Fifties for Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram

From the depths of 28 for four last night, Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram have rebuilt Glamorgan. Kellaway, another Lion predicted to have a bright future, reached his half-century first before being bowled by a gorgeous ball from Dom Bess. Glamorgan 137 for five, Ingram 59 not out.

Again apologies that things are slow this morning, the wifi keeps dropping in and out and the hotspot on my phone is also being disobedient. Here, quickly, before it drops again, Ollie Robinson has sent nightwatchman Scriven on his way, before taking himself off. Weatherald and Holland drop anchor.

With an hour gone, let’s trot round the grounds.

“Salutations Tanya!” Good morning Tim Maitland.

“I am torn between two burning issues.

”Firstly, why does the UK insist on giving storms such ridiculously benign names? Storm Dave is more likely to give people the impression that there’s time for a nice cup of tea and some custard creams rather than the desired effect of battening down the metaphorical hatches. What’s wrong with using the names of historical villains? Storm Genghis? Storm Atilla? Storm Thatcher? At the very least give them French names and strike fear into the heart of the general population.

”The second thought is would the England batting line-up be better with a player like Ben Foakes in it? I’m not specifically banging the drum for Foakes, just for the England management to resists the urge to fill their side with yet more peroxide-tipped, high testosterone pyjama cricketers fashioned in their own likeness and instead add a player late in the order capable of having a steadying influence – much in the way that Joe Root calms the top of the order when he inevitably comes in to bat 20 minutes into the innings – and occasionally buy time for the last survivor of the specialist batters or Ben Stokes himself to build their own innings. Someone who can do more than provide another cameo of carnage before handing the initiative back to the bowling side.

“I only mention this as two days of yellow storm warnings and a forecast of snow in the Scottish Highlands should presumably give us all a surfeit of time to consider such things.”

Sadly, I think Ben Foakes time has passed – which seems a ridiculous thing to say about such a talented player.

One for Lancashire fans

A little plug for Paul Edwards, sitting next to me here at Grace Road and supplying statistical nuggets for the blog on a daily basis. He and Graham Hardcastle have set up a new website lankylanky.com, which will cover all aspects of Lancs cricket, including in-depth features, profiles, historical pieces, batting collapses etc. It will be wide-ranging, looking at men’s, women’s and disability cricket as well as the recreational game.

There is a 20 per cent discount until the end of April, code: LANKY20.

Round the grounds, Somerset have a second batting point (Overton 38 not out); Martin Andersson has knocked up a career-best 150 for Derbyshire; Ben Sanderson has nipped out George Balderson for 21, Lancs 394-8.

Ollie Robinson’s first over brings a caught behind appeal against Scriven. Robinson is sure of it and most fed up when turned down.

A statistical goblet from yesterday: Yesterday was 8,231 days since Leicestershire last played first-division cricket. That day was 19 Sept 2003, playing Sussex at Hove, the same match that Sussex won the Championship.

Sorry everyone, a few wifi problems this morning. A blowy gray day at Grace Road but things will start on time.

Ali Martin’s report from Birmingham

Friday’s round-up

The spectre of the Ashes loomed over day one of a new Championship season, every innings, every wicket, a play in one act sent straight to the laptop of Brendon McCullum.

England Lion Emilio Gay won the race to the first century of the season for Durham, a classy innings, fierce on the loose ball, and in tricky conditions at Chester-le-Street. When he was finally out, a fourth catch of the day to Kent’s Zak Crawley, he had pocketed 128 from just 140 balls.

Crawley’s turn with the bat went about as well as Jamie Smith’s and Ollie Pope’s over at Edgbaston, two boundaries before falling lbw to Matthew Potts for nine.

At Grace Road Tom Clark embroidered a stylish 101, as Sussex gave promoted Leicestershire a bloody nose in the morning session, racing to 155 for two by lunch. Lion Tom Haines made a giddy half-century and James Coles, of mega-deal Hundred fame, a pretty 28. An England and Wales Cricket Board bowling scout, watching from the wings, then saw Ollie Robinson remove Rishi Patel in the four overs of Leicestershire’s innings possible before stumps

At Taunton, Somerset performed their usual rescue act, this time from 14 for two against the champions. Tom Abell stroked a flawless 108, and he and young James Rew (64) added 140 for the fourth wicket against Nottinghamshire. One of Rew’s drives lilted through covers like a lullaby. Craig Overton clubbed 32.

Rain wiped out much of the day at Sophia Gardens but Glamorgan, back in Division One for the first time since 2005, had a tricky start. They lost four wickets in six overs against Yorkshire including the fancied Asa Tribe, who donated Jonny Bairstow a pillowy catch. Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram rebuilt to 99 for four at stumps.

History was made at Southampton, where Noah Thain became the first full substitute in County Championship history under the ECB’s new experimental rule change. He replaced the Essex captain, Tom Westley, whose finger was fractured by a snorter from Hampshire’s Sonny Baker. Wobbling at 67 for three, and with Westley retired hurt, Matt Critchley (97no) and Charlie Allison (60no) rebuilt calmly. There was a minute’s silence at the start of the match in memory of Hampshire and England legend Robin Smith, who died during the winter.

There was also a minute’s silence at Lord’s, to remember long-serving groundsman Mick Hunt. On a stodgy day, Leus du Plooy’s 98 not out helped Middlesex to 279 for five against Gloucestershire.

It was a tough day for Worcestershire’s bowlers at Derbyshire, where Martin Andersson shimmied a rapid unbeaten 134. Worcestershire are without South African signing Beyers Swanepoel, whose desperation to get to New Road was such that he left for the airport with seven overs of a domestic one-day final to go and then found that a furious South African had withheld his no-objection certificate. “Beyers would probably say he’s made a bit of an error in hindsight,” said the Worcestershire chief executive, Ashley Giles.

Lancashire were the only side who won the toss and batted and could be happy enough with their work against Northamptonshire thanks to 90 from Josh Bohannon, 87 from Luke Wells and 71 from Michael Jones.

Scores on the doors

DIVISION ONE

Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 99-4 v Yorkshire

Southampton: Hampshire v Essex 219-3

Grace Road: Leicestershire 15-1 v Sussex 361

Taunton: Somerset 292-6 v Nottinghamshire

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Surrey 328

DIVISION TWO

The County Ground: Derbyshire 391-4 v Worcestershire

Chester le Street: Durham 335 v Kent 50-2

Lord’s: Middlesex 279-5 v Gloucestershire

Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Lancashire 346-7

Preamble

Good morning! In Leicester, the sparrows are chirping as the city stretches into Easter Saturday.

At Grace Road, Sussex, giddy from for their success on day one, will press further. I worry a little what havoc Ollie Robinson might unleash on Leicestershire’s batting line up. Anyway, it all starts at 11am – do join us for news around the grounds.

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UK News

Teachers' union warns of 'masculinity crisis brewing' in schools

Published

2 hours ago

April 4, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

NASWUT’s leader said there is a “ticking time bomb” if male pupils cannot be helped with misogyny.

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UK News

Manchester City v Liverpool kicks off FA Cup quarter-finals, Fernández latest and more – matchday live | FA Cup

Published

3 hours ago

April 4, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Key events

Billy Munday caught the return of Roy Hodgson to Bristol City after 44 years of absence.

Football has changed in the two years since Hodgson left Crystal Palace, including “the cult of the long throw”, with Charlton’s Harry Clarke launching a ball into the box within moments of kick-off here. “I only came across that in the 80s when we played Wimbledon,” he said.

Per Reuters, it’s a big day in Miami for MLS club Inter Miami.

Inter Miami will open the home Lionel Messi helped build when they host Austin FC on Saturday night.

The match will be the first at the Herons’ permanent home, the 26,700-seat Nu Stadium, constructed slightly northwest of downtown Miami.

While approval for construction came before Messi joined Miami (3-1-1, 10 points) and MLS in the summer of 2023, it was always billed as a project meant to attract the game’s biggest stars. And now the man considered the game’s greatest living player will lead his team there.

“Honestly, it’s spectacular getting to see the new home,” Messi said this week in Spanish. “The new stadium turned out incredible, and it’s really special to be able to experience it. We’d been eager to play there, to make our debut, to finally be competing there. And now the moment has arrived.“

We didn’t see Harry Kane this week for England, but Barney Ronay has been keeping an eye on the great man.

The Premier League does feel a distance away, doesn’t it? Perhaps the FA Cup and European action in midweek can salve our thirst for now.

don’t recall a mid-season period like this with almost 3 full weeks between PL matches, and none over an easter weekend. This afternoon’s early match should be good, you’d guess that neither want to go to penalties, but whether as has been suggested the next 5 or so matches for Liverpool decide Scot’s future is debatable ie he’s either staying or going, nobody knows which just yet but if he goes then who is in the frame to replace him…and what does his replacement do if he ain’t comfortable with Liverpool’s set up re their new and rather expensive recent signings

said before the start of this season that I’d take top 4 and a decent domestic cup run, still holding to that but actually and given how they’re played, and how they’ve not played too often, this season maybe events 4 isn’t realistic…Liverpool can be expected to concede so yet again they may have to outscore their opponents and that issue, amongst a few, needs addressing before next season

The Women’s FA Cup is being played, too. Suzanne Wrack runs the rule over the ties.

Arsenal v Brighton, Sunday 1pm
Charlton v Liverpool, Sunday 2.30pm
Chelsea v Tottenham, Monday 1.30pm
Birmingham v Manchester City, Monday 5pm

Arsenal will come up against a goalkeeper on loan from Bayern Munich when they play Southampton in the cup later today. Ben Fisher spoke to Daniel Peretz.

Peretz was inspired by the Germany goalkeeper as a boy – he had a giant photo of the 2014 World Cup-winner on his bedroom wall – but in Bavaria Neuer, who turned 40 last week, morphed into a mentor. “[It went] from admiring the players, to them becoming my friends and my teammates.

“I watched every single save [Neuer] made and then he was with me day by day and he became a friend,” Peretz says, recalling the emotions of their first encounter. “I was sweating all over, so nervous that I could not speak. I had goosebumps, everything.”

More Liverpool, more Slot. More Salah.

Slot, however, insisted he would not have handled the situation with the club legend any differently. He explained: “Yes [he is happy with how he managed it]. I look back at this season thinking that I made a few decisions that could have been better, but I’m not talking about this specific thing with Mo. I don’t regret many things I did during our one-and-a-half years together, or just longer.

Ed Aarons takes up genealogy in this deep dive on the Arsenal family.

George Male was a key figure in Arsenal’s dominant side of the 1930s, helping them win five league titles in eight seasons. Known for his consistency and leadership in defence, he remains one of the club’s historic figures and is pictured in two places outside the Emirates Stadium. Male went on to become a long-serving youth-team coach and then a scout at Arsenal after retiring, and is remembered as the man who discovered Charlie George, who was part of the famous Double-winning team of 1970-71.

That Easter double-header got off to a great start for Frank Lampard’s Coventry. And: Millwall in the Premier League? It may well be happening.

Mikel Arteta wasn’t holding back in his press conference, either. This on the Carabao Cup.

During the first part, it’s like a ball of poison that you have in your tummy,” said Arteta when asked whether he had spent the international break stewing over the final.

“Take that out as quick as possible. How can I use that to make myself better, to make the team better? There is a part that I think has to be there and I think this is not going to go in the next 30 years. Because when you have the opportunity to win a final in Wembley, you have to get it done. So that has to stay there.

Talking of players linked with Madrid and City v Liverpool, Rodrí and Guardiola from Friday.

As mentioned in the preamble, today’s is a huge game for Liverpool. Andy Hunter has run the rule over the Arne Slot regime.

Let’s start with that Chelsea story. Ben Bloom was at the Liam Rosenior press conference while Jacob Steinberg has analysed the latest Cobham crisis.

Preamble

Good morning, football. Happy Easter, you happy eaters.

We’re up for the FA Cup, and it’s the last eight, with a huge game between Manchester City and Liverpool starting the weekend’s quartet of matches. Perhaps that’s not as amped up as it might have been, with both teams having tough seasons by contrast to previous successes but: City won the Carabao Cup in style and Liverpool look to rescue something from their season.

So, the games today are:

Manchester City v Liverpool, 12.45pm
Chelsea v Port Vale, 5.15pm
Southampton v Arsenal, 8pm

With the EFL being played on Good Friday and Easter Monday, there’s a lack of action in England’s 92. But: there’s action in Scotland and across Europe, and a series of stories to look at, including L’affaire Fernandez at Chelsea.

Join me.

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