Gloucestershire 144 for 3 (Bracey 64) beat Hampshire 139 for 6 by seven wickets

Gloucestershire overcame Hampshire on a slow, sluggish Bristol wicket to go fourth in the Vitality Blast South Group, thanks to a canny bowling performance and an impressive 64 from James Bracey.

With Rilee Rossouw (ill), Brad Taylor and Mason Crane (both side strains) missing, Hampshire looked light on batting at the toss, and so it proved. After Aneurin Donald's eyecatching innings had taken them to 54 for 1 after the powerplay, their innings fell away horribly as Tom Smith found purchase on a turgid pitch, and their seamers used their usual variety of slower balls and cutters.

A target of 140 was never likely to be easy to defend, and after a cautious first four overs of the chase, the fifth broke the back of the chase and meant Gloucestershire could stay in third gear for the remainder.

The beneficiary of those absentees was Ryan Stevenson, the redhead seamer who came in for his first game of the Blast season, but he must have wished he had spent the night in the dugout as usual.

His first ball would have seen Michael Klinger caught behind but for an umpiring error, and things quickly got worse. Klinger chipped a six over midwicket, then got off strike with a three; Stevenson threw in two wides, was smashed for four twice by Bracey, including once off a no-ball, and then had him out caught off the free hit. One last boundary followed, meaning 25 had come off it, and the asking rate shot down to below six.

From that point, Hampshire were toast, as Bracey and Klinger knocked the ball around easily with little pressure on them to score. This was Klinger's highest T20 score in just over a year - the situation could hardly have suited him better.

This pitch had seen Gloucestershire only squeeze past Kent's 125 for 8 last week, and from the moment David Payne started to bowl his cutters in the game's third over, it seemed clear that this pitch would suit their attack.

The conditions could only have been more perfect if they had been able to call upon the services of Benny Howell, who will miss the rest of the season after injuring his hamstring diving in the field against Surrey last week.

As cover, Gloucestershire brought in Zak Chappell on loan from Nottinghamshire, the young fast bowler with a big future and an even bigger reported salary. He struck early to dismiss James Vince - who he gave a roaring send-off - but proved the most expensive bowler on show; perhaps he was overzealous in his efforts to impress after an underwhelming debut season at Trent Bridge.

Hampshire's selection - while hampered by injury - looked particularly strange when Chris Morris strode out to bat at number five. It was just the 14th time that Morris had batted in the top five in a T20, despite his 180 matches, and he struggled badly to eke out an unbeaten 18 off 24 balls. That they left out Tom Alsop, while having seven bowling options, seemed curious.

This was the sort of surface on which Gloucestershire tend to thrive, and it was apparent that Andrew Tye's influence in his several stints as an overseas player has extended beyond just his wickets. Chris Liddle spoke at the interval about the work the club's seamers do with one another to develop more slower balls and variations, and he, Tye, and Payne went for just 78 from their 12 overs; Ryan Higgins, so impressive in the win at Surrey, never even made it into the attack.

At the interval, it had looked clear that Liam Dawson would be the key man if Hampshire were to come close, but by the time he came on the asking rate had already fallen to 5.46. He was characteristically frugal, but the game was effectively up by the time he had the opportunity to influence it.

Bracey, who has quietly impressed for the best part of three seasons in the Championship, has only recently nailed down a spot in Gloucestershire's T20 side, but shone with a mature innings in the chase. He was particularly impressive combating the fiery Morris, nailing an early cover drive and pulling him for four in his second spell. He was a recent call-up for the England Lions, and at 22 looks like an old-school batsman with serious promise.

"I'm really pleased with how we've come back from a defeat," he told Sky. "We just wanted to take the initiative with the new ball, which slid onto the bat nicely. It came off for us and made it easier for us at the back end. I've started to find my feet in the last few games, so it's good to play a match-winning knock."

Gloucestershire's campaign thus far has been a stop-start affair, with two no-results and a tie in their first four games keeping them in the bunch of teams competing for the quarter-finals. But with three wins in their last four - and a trip to fourth-placed Somerset on Friday night looming - they are now set to be part of the South Group's qualification narrative.

Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer has said he does not believe in equal pay for men and women in football, or sports such as tennis, because women don't bring in as much revenue, according to a report.

"I think for me, it's ridiculous," De Boer told The Guardian when asked about the plans for equal pay. "It's the same like tennis. If there are watching, for the World Cup final, 500 million people or something like that, and 100 million for a women's final, that's a difference. So it's not the same. And of course they have to be paid what they deserve to [earn] and not less, just what they really deserve. If it's just as popular as the men, they will get it, because the income and the advertising will go into that. But it's not like that, so why do they have to earn the same? I think it's ridiculous. I don't understand that."

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De Boer represented the Netherlands at the 1994 and 1998 men's World Cups, and the Dutch women reached the final of the 2019 Women's World Cup before losing, 2-0, to the U.S. women in July.

The Royal Dutch Football Association has already pledged pay equity for its men's and women's teams. The women will receive yearly raises through 2023, when their earnings for national team service will equal that of their male counterparts. The U.S. women, meanwhile, sued the U.S. Soccer Federation in March, arguing that their pay and working conditions amounted to gender discrimination.

De Boer, the former Ajax coach who took over as manager for the defending MLS champions in December 2018, disagrees with gender pay gaps in the workplace but says they are still warranted in sports.

"I think it started because a woman [was] getting underpaid, especially at [managerial] positions," he told the newspaper. "They have to earn the same as a man. I think if you have a manager position for a bank or something, you have to earn the same what the men did because it's not physically, just only here [points to head], so why do you have to earn less, because you're doing the same job as a man? I think that's also dropped a little bit into the sports world, like tennis and soccer. But I think that's still different."

U.S. players, including Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan, say they have been consistently paid less than their male counterparts despite performing better. The prize money for the women's World Cup doubled to $30 million this year, but this paled in comparison to the €400m ($448m) available for the men's tournament winners last year. Last week, the U.S. Soccer Federation hired the services of two lobbying firms to counter the U.S. women's claims, a USSF spokesperson confirmed to ESPN FC. In the wake of the U.S. women's team's World Cup victory, legislation was introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives requiring the USSF to pay players on the respective U.S. women's and men's national team equally.

The 2019 Women's World Cup final drew 22% more viewers in the United States than the 2018 men's final, according to data from Nielsen cited by Fox Sports. The U.S. men did not play in the 2018 final, which saw France beat Croatia, 4-2.

According to Nielsen data for U.S. viewership, 14.3 million tuned in to the Women's World Cup final via linear television, compared with 11.4 million for the 2018 men's final. The addition of online streaming put total viewership at 20 million via Fox Sports, making it the most-watched soccer match on U.S. English-language television, men's or women's, since the 2015 Women's World Cup final, which saw 25.4 million viewers.

According to a report in CNN, an additional 1.6 million viewers watched the final match in Spanish on Telemundo in the United States.

New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate has lost his appeal of his four-game suspension, leaving his new team without a key acquisition for the first quarter of the season.

Tate tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance that he said came from prescribed fertility medication. His appeal was heard Tuesday by an arbiter in New York.

The suspension will cost Tate $465,000 in salary ($116,176 per game). He will miss the opener on the road against the Dallas Cowboys followed by games against the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins.

He will be allowed to participate in all preseason practices and games.

Tate's absence will put added pressure on a wide receiver corps that lost Odell Beckham Jr. in an offseason trade. Tate signed a four-year, $37.5 million deal as a free agent to help offset the loss.

Sterling Shepard (broken thumb), Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler will play bigger roles in Tate's immediate absence.

Latimer is expected to slide into Tate's starting spot. He started in Thursday's preseason opener with Shepard still sidelined and caught two passes for 36 yards despite playing just two drives.

On Tuesday, before the decision was announced, Giants quarterback Eli Manning lauded Tate's ability and had hoped "things work out" for the receiver to play a full season.

"Golden is a smart player and he is going to be in the right spot and he has a good feel for the zones, how to get open versus different techniques and stuff," Manning said. "A veteran guy but also, we have seen a bunch of it with the Giants, his run after catch historically has been very good -- a playmaker. Hopefully, things work out and he will be here all year."

In a statement last month, Tate said he thought he had a legitimate case to win his appeal.

"This past April, during the off-season, my wife and I decided to see a specialist for fertility planning. I started the treatment prescribed to me and just days later I discovered it contained an ingredient that is on the league's banned substance list," Tate said. "I immediately discontinued use, I reported the situation to the Independent Administrator of the NFL Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances, and I spoke with my coaches and general manager. I did all of this well before a failed test was even confirmed.

"Per NFL protocol, an initial suspension was imminent, but myself and the Giants organization are confident in the facts, and eagerly await my appeal to put this behind us."

However, the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs is unforgiving. It states, "Players are responsible for what is in their bodies and a positive test will not be excused because a Player was unaware that he was taking a Prohibited Substance."

While with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013, Tate was critical of two teammates who received suspensions for substance abuse violations, calling them "selfish."

"You are affecting way more than yourself," Tate told 710 ESPN Radio at the time. "I feel like that was kind of a selfish move on both those guys' part. But it is what it is. The show must go on, and that's what we're gonna do."

Britain's Andy Murray and Spain's Feliciano Lopez are through to the last 16 of the men's doubles at the Cincinnati Masters.

They beat Dutchman Jean-Julien Rojer and Romania's Horia Tecau 3-6 6-3 10-3.

On Monday, Murray played his first singles match since career-saving hip surgery in January - a 6-4 6-4 loss to France's Richard Gasquet.

The Scot, 32, says he will not play singles at the US Open this month, but will play doubles and mixed doubles.

The former world number one returned to competitive action in the Queen's doubles in June - going on to win the tournament alongside Lopez - and has played in four subsequent doubles events.

He and Lopez face American pair Ryan Harrison and Jack Sock in the next round on Wednesday.

British number one Kyle Edmund begins his Cincinnati campaign against Russia's Daniil Medvedev later on Tuesday.

PATASKALA, Ohio – British driver Alice Powell will make her IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut at Virginia Int’l Raceway alongside Katherine Legge in the No. 57 Caterpillar Acura NSX GT3.

Powell finished her latest racing series on a high note by scoring her first victory of the season and placing third overall in the championship. In addition to her race win, she earned podium finishes at the Hockenheimring, Circuit Zolder and TT Circuit Assen.

During her time competing in the top open wheel series in Europe – Formula Renault, GP3 and Formula 3 – Powell won several awards for her achievements. In 2009, at just 16 years old, she was the youngest female to compete in the Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship. She also won the British Women Racing Drivers Club Goldstars ‘Elite’ Category award and was the first woman to win a Formula Renault Race in the UK, going on to become the first woman to win a Formula Renault Championship in 2010.

With two powerhouse British drivers competing in the Michelin GT Challenge on Sunday, Aug. 25, Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing is poised for another strong showing at Virginia Int’l Raceway.

“I am very excited to be joining Heinricher Racing and Meyer Shank Racing for the next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said Powell. “This is such a successful and well-respected team. I am looking forward to working with them and settling into driving the Acura NSX GT3. It will be my first time racing in the States and only the second endurance race of my career, so I am very keen to experience VIR.”

Last year, Legge stood on the podium at VIR. She is looking forward to making another podium run with her new teammate in the No. 57 Caterpillar Acura NSX.

“I’m looking forward to VIR and to a fresh start after the last couple of races where we haven’t had the best results,” said Legge. “I’m really looking forward to racing with Alice. She is a well-respected driver and just won her latest race. We’ll all help her get even more comfortable with the Acura NSX so her speed translates to sports car racing. And, being a fellow Brit, I’m sure we’ll share too many laughs. I know we have made a lot of changes to the car for VIR, and last year was a strong race for us so hopefully we can get back into a rhythm next week.”

“The Heinricher Racing No. 57 Caterpillar effort is pleased to have Alice Powell join the team at VIR as a substitute for Bia Figueiredo,” said team principal Jackie Heinricher. “This is a fantastic track for her USA debut alongside veteran driver Katherine Legge. Our goal has long been to develop female talent and Alice has the talent deserving of our attention. The entire MSR crew has worked hard to sort our car, and we look forward to shaking off the issues of the past few races to fight back to the top.”

Since 1934, SPEED SPORT has been covering motorsports all over the world. As we celebrate our 85th Anniversary, we decided to take a look back at some important moments in SPEED SPORT history.

1934 – The East Paterson Herald Publishing Co. produces the first issue of National Auto Racing News on Aug. 16. Later that year, Chris Economaki sells his first copy of this newspaper.

1937 – A special promotion offers a one-year subscription for $1, a 50-percent savings off the regular price.

1940 – NARN hosts the first National Convention of the auto-racing fraternity in New York City.

1942 – With auto racing banned for the duration of the war, the final issue of NARN is published on Nov. 19.

1943 – NARN’s successor, National Speed Sport News, is introduced in February by The Kay Publishing Co., with William Kay continuing as editor.

1944 – Published monthly, NSSN features stories about post-war racing plans along with columns and old race reports.

1945 – At 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 16, the government ban on auto racing is lifted. NSSN begins publishing every two weeks.

1947 – Weekly publishing resumes May 7.

1949 – NSSN moves from East Paterson, N.J., into the Ridgewood News building in Ridgewood, N.J.

1950 – Editor Bill Kay suffers a fatal heart attack at age 62. Associate editor Chris Economaki is promoted to editor.

1955 – Race fan William Thomas of Converse, S.C., earns $50 for winning the Daytona Speed Week Quiz sponsored by NSSN.

1956 – A.J. Foyt appears on the cover for the first time of the Sept. 12 issue.

1962 – The name of Chris Economaki’s column changes from Gas-O-Lines to From the Editor’s Notebook.

1963 – Pepsi becomes the first non-automotive consumer product to advertise.

1967 – Yearly subscription price increases to $7, the first change in 12 years.

1970 – The height of the paper is reduced from 16.5 to 15.5 inches.

1975 – A new logo, the first since 1952, debuts and features the words Speed Sport in large bold letters.

1977 – Cover price increases from 35 cents to 50 cents.

1983 – Microfilm copies of NSSN and its predecessor, National Auto Racing News, are added to the permanent collection at the Library of Congress.

1984 – Isuzu Trucks is the first company to include spot color in an advertisement.

1985 – NSSN ends its association with the Ridgewood News in February and moves from 30 Oak St. to 79 Chestnut St. in Ridgewood, N.J.

1986 – Several design changes, including a new logo, debut in the May 7 issue.

1987 – The first four-color photograph, featuring the 1988 Indy 500 pace car, appears in the Oct. 28 issue.

1988 – Chevrolet places the first four-color advertisement in the Feb. 3 issue.

1990 – Corinne Economaki becomes the third publisher as Chris Economaki is named publisher emeritus.

1991 – As of Aug. 1, the newsroom no longer accepts dictated copy.

1992 – The business office begins accepting credit cards for subscription purchases and renewals.

1993 – For the first time, readers have the option of purchasing a two-year subscription.

1995 – Starting with the Sept. 13 issue, the cover price increases from $1 to $2.

1996 – A special feature celebrates the centennial anniversary of the first oval-track auto race.

1997 – NSSN relocates from Ridgewood, N.J., to Harrisburg, N.C.

1999 – A special feature ranks the 24 Greatest Sprint Car Drivers with Steve Kinser No. 1.

2000 – The June 7 issue marks the first time the mailing address is printed directly on the cover, eliminating the use of labels.

2001 – Starting in November, content from the pages of NSSN is available online.

2002 – The design of NSSN undergoes a complete makeover, including a new logo, and the refreshed look debuts with the Feb. 6 issue.

2004 – As part of the paper’s 70th anniversary, a poster featuring an illustrated history of auto racing is distributed as a subscription premium.

2006 – Editorial content is adjusted to include more feature stories and columns in each issue.

2008 – A presence is established on social-networking websites MySpace and Facebook.

2009 – National Speed Sports News celebrates its 75th anniversary.

2011 – National Speed News ceases publication with the March 9 issue.

2012 – Turn 3 Media acquires the rights to the brand and returns to the marketplace with the first issue of SPEED SPORT Magazine.

2014 – SPEED SPORT Productions is launched with numerous video projects, including SPEED SPORT on MAVTV.

2017 – Turn 3 Media acquires Sprint Car & Midget magazine, adding to the company’s media portfolio.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Matt DiBenedetto will be keeping busy during the upcoming Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series off weekend.

DiBenedetto has announced he’ll drive the No. 18 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing during the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., on Aug. 24.

GUESS WHAT?!?! I’m so dang excited to get an extra chance to do some road course racing next weekend for the @NASCAR_Xfinity race @roadamerica in the No.18 @iK9_Global Camry for @JoeGibbsRacing!! ??

— Matt DiBenedetto (@mattdracing) August 13, 2019

DiBenedetto, who is currently embarked upon his fifth full season of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition and first with Leavine Family Racing, previously made seven NASCAR Xfinity Series starts for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Those starts all came in 2009 and 2010. He scored a best finish of ninth in those seven starts at Iowa Speedway in 2010.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Richard Childress Racing has been penalized for infractions discovered last weekend at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

The No. 3 of Austin Dillon and No. 8 of Daniel Hemric were found to have unapproved alternators in their Chevrolet Camaros. Both teams had their qualifying times disallowed and they were forced to start Sunday’s race from the rear of field.

Dillon’s crew chief Danny Stockman Jr. has been fined $25,000 by NASCAR and the No. 3 team has lost 10 driver and owner points. The same fine was handed down to Hemric’s crew chief, Luke Lambert. The No. 8 team also lost 10 driver and owner points.

The only other penalty announced by NASCAR was a $5,000 fine to Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Jeff Meendering for unsecured lug nuts on the No. 19 Toyota Supra driven by Brandon Jones in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.