Todays Sporting News – 3 October 2025

• Bangladesh secured their second-ever Cricket World Cup win in their opening match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 against Pakistan in Colombo. Having battled to their first World Cup victory over Pakistan back in 2022, Bangladesh took the opportunity to notch another victory over the same opponents. Bangladesh won by seven wickets.
• On Thursday, 18 centenarian yachts took part in the 14th edition of the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy, organized by the Gstaad Yacht Club in collaboration with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez. Held as part of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the regatta followed the popular pursuit race format and was sailed in a light easterly breeze. After completing a 9-nautical-mile course, Leonore claimed victory in her first-ever participation, succeeding last year’s winner, Oriole.
• Nottingham Forest’s tough start under Australian coach Ange Postecoglou has gone from bad to worse, with fans chanting for him to be sacked after a 3-2 Europa League defeat to Danish side Midtjylland.
• PGA of America president Don Rea Jr has apologised for downplaying abusive fan behaviour at last week’s Ryder Cup in New York.
• Australia has its first medal of the ICF Slalom World Championships, with Kaylen Bassett winning bronze in the men’s C1 at Penrith’s Whitewater Stadium.
• The NRLW Grand Final will kick off the weekend’s rugby league action on Sunday as the Sydney Roosters face the Brisbane Broncos at Accor Stadium. The Roosters are unbeaten in 2025 and chasing consecutive titles, while the Broncos, who feature two-time Dally M winner Tamika Upton, have lost only once all season (to the Roosters in Round 3).
• Formula One heads to Marina Bay this weekend for the Singapore Grand Prix, the sport’s original night race. All eyes are on Max Verstappen, who has recorded back-to-back wins in Monza and Baku and is 69 points behind Piastri in the drivers’ championship. Verstappen has never won in Singapore.
• The Proteas Women face a tough challenge in their opening Women’s Cricket World Cup fixtures.
• Reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen says he has “nothing to lose” in his quest to finish the season strongly. This after two successive wins.
• The Proteas netball team is set to battle world champions Australia in a three-match series over the next week. The South Africans have never beaten the Aussies.
• Football – Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou faced anger from his own fans after his team’s 3-2 Europa League defeat to Midtjylland in the Europa League. Aston Villa beat Feyenoord 2-0 in Rotterdam to make it back-to-back Europa League wins. Crystal Palace opened their Conference League campaign with a 2-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv to set a new club record run of 19 unbeaten matches.
• Winter Olympics – Cross-country running and cyclocross have a good chance of being added to the 2030 Winter Olympics in France, Sebastian Coe has predicted, as part of what could be the biggest overhaul of the Games in a generation.
• Rugby union – While the majority of British and Irish Lions squad members are not being permitted to resume playing for their clubs until next week, Leicester’s new club captain Ollie Chessum has been cleared to return to domestic action against Harlequins.
• Provincial bragging rights will be a guaranteed motivational factor for the 14 teams contesting the 2025 U20 Women’s Week in Johannesburg, starting on Monday, while the next generation of talent should lay down a marker to the current Springbok Women coaching staff, who will be attendance at various stages of the three-day tournament.
• The 2025 WNBA Finals begin tonight (8:30 pm ET, ESPN) with the Las Vegas Aces taking on the Phoenix Mercury in a best-of-seven series.
• Department of Homeland Security plans to send ICE agents to patrol Super Bowl LX following announcement that Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny was selected to perform at the halftime show.
• Raiders of Johannesburg will make history on Monday 6 October when they take the field for the first-ever women’s national club championship match, in the inaugural Betway Women’s Club Championship. The Longdale-based club, whose roots can be traced back as far as 1889, will play newly-formed Sol Plaatje University Rugby Club in a match that signals a new era for women’s rugby in South Africa and a significant boost for women’s rugby development.
• The Red Roses made history at the Women’s Rugby World Cup final, playing in front of over 81k fans at Twickenham – the largest ever crowd at a women’s rugby match.
• Club captain Kyle Steyn and British & Irish Lions centre Sione Tuipulotu will both make their first appearances of the 2025/26 campaign in Treviso tomorrow evening, after being named in the starting XV for this weekend’s clash with Benetton.
• ENG beat SA by 10 wickets. SA fell apart faster than a House of Cards that realised their protagonist was potentially a pedophile in the 1980s. England took advantage.
• The ten Olympic Sailing events are tinkering with racing formats to attract an audience for the Los Angeles 2028. The panic of Sailing getting dropped from the Summer Games is making the administrators crazy, and there is a very good chance their decisions will make the rest of us crazy too.
• Dozens of Turkish boats were seen sailing with Palestinian flags off the coast of Hatay in the south of the country.
• The Korn Ferry Tour Finals have made their way to the Patriot Golf Club in Owasso. Numerous local college products are fighting to finish inside the top 20 of the points list in a couple of weeks in order to earn their PGA Tour card.
• Former Silver Ferns midcourter Gina Crampton has become the ninth New Zealand netballer to join the Australian league, after signing with the NSW Swifts for the 2026 Suncorp Super Netball season. Crampton, who was part of the Silver Ferns 2019 World.
• South Africa are firm favourites to wrap up a second straight Rugby Championship title for the first time when they face Argentina at Twickenham on Saturday in a competition with an uncertain future.
• Robertson emphasised in Perth the decision to slot Tupaea in for just his second start of the year, outside Jordie Barrett in the slightly unfamiliar centre position, was no knock on Proctor.
• South African Garrick Higgo, chasing his second US PGA Tour title of the season, carded a seven-under par 65 on Thursday to join a four-way tie for the lead at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi.
• On Friday, the UTSA men’s tennis team will kick-start the U.S. College Cup Invitational
• After suffering a shoulder injury in the US Open in the beginning of September, fans can finally see Ben Shelton back on the court. Shelton took about a month off from competitions to give his body time to recover from the injury.
• The NFL plans to launch women’s and men’s professional flag football leagues “in the next couple of years,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said.
• All Blacks hopes of claiming the Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship may depend on a massive Argentina upset over South Africa in London, but New Zealand knows it faces a tough contest against a reinvigorated Australia in Perth on Saturday.
• LIV Golf’s UK entity lost nearly $500mn last year, forcing Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to foot the bill in an increasingly costly shake-up of the professional game. Saudi-owned LIV Golf Ltd’s net losses swelled to $461.8mn
• Sutton United have announced Worthing boss Chris Agutter as their head coach taking over as permanent successor to Steve Morison. Morison left by mutual consent on 17 September with the club 22nd in the National League table.
• Barcelona succumbed to defeat in what was the headline clash of the week against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The European champions scored a last-minute winner through Goncalo Ramos to take the victory.
• The Navy men’s tennis team will split its squad to compete in tournaments in Virginia, Pennsylvania and California this weekend.
• The George Washington tennis team concludes a triple-header of events with the River City Open hosted by Richmond this weekend.
• A Canton man is accused of stealing $8,000 from the Canton Minor Hockey Association.
• The Boston College Eagles and the Cal Golden Bears played to a scoreless draw in College Soccer action.
• The Crusaders will play a full 34-game regular season schedule, including eight non-conference games and 26 Atlantic Hockey games.
• Jake White says Rassie Erasmus and his coaching team deserve credit for giving the Springboks’ next generation the belief to deliver on the big stage.
• Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh is reportedly pushing for the Rugby Championship to continue while officials consider shifting it to a new window in the calendar.
• Ireland could move to No 1 in the World Rugby rankings this weekend. However, it would require the Springboks to suffer an unlikely loss to Argentina at Twickenham by 15 points or more.
• Stormers coach John Dobson admits it was “impossible” to keep both Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok on the books in Cape Town. Feinberg-Mngomezulu has emerged as the Springboks’ first-choice No 10 this season, highlighted by his record-breaking 37-point performance against Argentina in Durban last Saturday.
• Six years after being accused of assault and racism in Langebaan, Eben Etzebeth has given his side of the story in his autobiography Unlocked.
• Northampton Saints sign Italy hooker Marco Manfredi in a deal for the rest of the season.
• Exeter’s Wales forward Christ Tshiunza will miss the autumn internationals after revealing that he has broken his foot.
• Sadia Kabeya wants to inspire the next generation of Red Roses after winning the World Cup with England.
• Ulster hooker Rob Herring says South African Juarno Augustus has the talent to make a big impact for the Irish province this season.
• Esteban Ocon has opened up on what it was like to see Romain Grosjean get back behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time in five years, with the Frenchman admitting that he was happy to witness the “awesome” moment at a special Haas event.
• F1 ACADEMY arrives in Singapore, with the Marina Bay Street Circuit hosting Round 6 of the season.
• Lewis Hamilton has spoken of the “overwhelming” amount of support he has received since the passing of his beloved dog Roscoe, with the seven-time World Champion admitting he has been moved to see “how much Roscoe touched people and meant to people”.
• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is refusing to get carried away with talk of a championship comeback after successive F1 victories slashed his deficit to McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
• Oscar Piastri is confident that he has “reset” and learned from his mistakes last time out in Baku as he prepares to bounce back at the Singapore Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver admitting that he is “only human”.
• The 2025 Women’s World Cup continued to produce moments of brilliance, and the fourth game of the tournament delivered one such highlight when England spinner Linsey Smith produced an absolute jaffa to dismiss South Africa’s star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp.
• India‘s right-handed batter KL Rahul registered a remarkable century on Day 2 of the opening Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
• Bangladesh kicked off their white-ball series against Afghanistan on a winning note as they registered a four-wicket triumph in the opening T20I at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Chasing 152, the visitors completed the game in the 19th over, winning the contest by 4 wickets.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY:

1942 — With a victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Whirlaway becomes the first horse to amass more than $500,000 in lifetime earnings.

1971 — Billie Jean King wins the Virginia Slims-Thunderbird tournament in Phoenix to become the first women tennis player to win $100,000 in one year.

1973 — The formation of the World Football League is announced.

1974 — Future Basketball Hall of Fame guard Jerry West (“Mr. Clutch”) retires after 14 NBA seasons with the Lakers; West has 25,192 career points; averages 29.1 ppg in 153 playoff games.

1981 — USC’s Marcus Allen rushes for 223 yards against Oregon State, his fourth straight 200-plus rushing game.

1981 — After a year’s inactivity, American boxer Mike Weaver outpoints countryman James ‘Quick’ Tillis in 15 rounds in Chicago to retain his WBA heavyweight title.

1997 — Sixty-nine-year-old Hall of Famer Gordie Howe skates the first shift with the Detroit Vipers in their International Hockey League opener, becoming the only pro in his sport to compete in six decades.

1998 — Ricky Williams rushes for a school-record 350 yards and five touchdowns to set NCAA records with 65 career rushing touchdowns and career points by a non-kicker (394) as Texas defeats Iowa State 54-33.

2004 — New England Patriots win their 18th consecutive game, beating the Buffalo Bills, 31-17 at Ralph Wilson Stadium; Tom Brady 17-for-30 for 298 yards & 2 TDs.

2009 — Aqib Talib has three interceptions in Tampa Bay’s 16-13 loss at Washington.

2010 — Angel McCoughtry scores 18 points as the United States wins gold at the women’s basketball world championship with an 89-69 victory over the Czech Republic.

2010 — Josh Scobee kicks a 59-yard field goal — the eighth-longest field goal in NFL history and longest in franchise history — as time expires to give Jacksonville a 31-28 victory over Indianapolis.

2012 — Star Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo scores his first Champions League hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 4-1 win against Ajax in Amsterdam.

2015 — Leonard Fournette highlights his third straight 200-yard game with a 75-yard touchdown run, and No. 9 LSU defeats Eastern Michigan 44-22. Fournette has 233 yards and three touchdowns to become the first player in the history of the Southeastern Conference to rush for 200-plus yards in three straight games.

2021 — Tom Brady becomes the NFL’s all-time leader in career passing yardage eclipsing Drew Brees’ high of 80,358.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY:

1951 — Bobby Thomson hits a three-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give the New York Giants a dramatic 5-4 playoff victory and the National League pennant.

1974 — Frank Robinson signs a $175,000-a-year player-manager contract with the Cleveland Indians, making him the first Black manager in major league history.

1976 — Future Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder Hank Aaron singles in his last MLB at-bat and drives in his 2,297th run as Milwaukee Brewers lose, 5-2 vs. Detroit Tigers.

1981 — After a year’s inactivity, American boxer Mike Weaver outpoints countryman James ‘Quick’ Tillis in 15 rounds in Chicago to retain his WBA heavyweight title.

1990 — George Brett, Kansas City Royals, become the first player in MLB history to win a batting title in three different decades.

1993 — The Toronto Blue Jays become the first team in American League history to have teammates finish 1-2-3 in the batting race. John Olerud leads the league with a .363 batting average, Paul Molitor finishes at .332 and Roberto Alomar at .326.

1999 — St Louis first baseman Mark McGwire hits his 65th homer of the season in a rain shortened 9-5 win over Cubs at Busch Stadium; wins 2nd straight HR title over Sammy Sosa, who hits his 63rd HR in same game.

2001 — San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds Is walked for the 171st time in 11-8 win at Houston; breaks Babe Ruth’s 1923 MLB single-season record for walks.

2004 — Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki finishes the season with a MLB record 262 hits.

2015 — Max Scherzer pitches his second no-hitter this season for Washington, striking out a team-record 17 and leading the Nationals over the NL East champion New York Mets 2-0 for a doubleheader sweep.