Manchester United have promoted Nicky Butt to the new position of head of first team development, reporting directly to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the club announced on Monday.

The ex-England midfielder, who played 387 games for United, has moved up from Head of Academy to help "create a seamless journey for young players stepping up to the next level."

"Manchester United is in my DNA and this is a very proud moment for me as I take on this new role," the 44-year-old Butt told the club's website. "I am passionate about nurturing, developing and coaching the talent we have here to become top players at this club."

United, who finished a disappointing sixth in the Premier League last season, have promoted Nick Cox to Head of Academy.

Executive vice chairman Ed Woodward added: "These changes will further enhance the excellent work and results we have seen over many decades in our Academy system and enable us to continue our proud traditions of producing world-class players capable of playing and excelling in the first team."

Meanwhile, Nick Cox will take over Butt's former role as the Head of Academy and will manage the coaching programme and operational services like sports science, education and analysis.

Megan Rapinoe said that, far from a distraction to overcome, criticism and controversy during the Women's World Cup played an important part in propelling the United States to the title.

In an interview with ESPN FC, Rapinoe said players rallied together after President Donald Trump tweeted during the tournament that the U.S. captain should win before talking about visiting the White House. Those tweets followed the release of a months-old video in which Rapinoe said she wouldn't accept an invitation to the White House if the U.S. were to win the World Cup.

"If anything, it united everyone around us and united the team around itself," Rapinoe told ESPN FC. "And it was emboldening in a way."

She added that she didn't spend much time following the reaction to the controversy in the moment. She also said that the U.S. already possessed ample motivation to win its fourth World Cup title. But coming the same week as a much-anticipated quarterfinal in Paris against host France, a co-favorite among oddsmakers to win the tournament, she contended that the episode brought players together as they began a stretch in which they played three top European opponents in the run-in to lifting the trophy.

"It was one of those things that kind of came at this funny moment," Rapinoe said. "I think it was more of a unifying thing than any sort of distraction."

Teammate Ali Krieger made a public show of support at the time with a tweet criticizing the president, but the game against France on June 28 was the first public appearance for most players since the president's tweets intensified the controversy two days earlier.

Playing a much more defensive style than at any other point in the tournament, the U.S. protected its early lead and withstood a barrage of French attacks in a 2-1 win. Rapinoe suggested it was a collective effort worthy of admiration from even Jose Mourinho -- the men's coach famous for winning major titles with a pragmatic, often defensive approach -- who she saw in the stands that day. It was not, in her estimation, the performance of a distracted team.

"We knew exactly what we wanted to do and what we were going to do to win," Rapinoe said. "We were sort of all on board in that moment, like, 'OK, this going to be more of a defensive game. We're going to counterattack.' ... And if you're going to beat us, you're going to have to break down a very organized, committed, disciplined team, which is really hard to do."

Cristiano Ronaldo won't face criminal charges after a woman accused him of raping her at his Palms Casino Resort penthouse suite in 2009.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said he reviewed a new police investigation and determined that Kathryn Mayorga's claim can't be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

"Therefore, no charges will be forthcoming," Wolfson said in a statement.

@LasVegasDA Declines to Prosecute 10-year-old Sexual Assault Allegation Against Cristiano Ronaldo. @ClarkCountyNV pic.twitter.com/XXdc8D9Plk

— Clark County DA (@LasVegasDA) July 22, 2019

Ronaldo's attorney, Peter Christiansen, was traveling Monday and not immediately available to comment. Christiansen has said Ronaldo and Mayorga had consensual sex in 2009. He denied it was rape.

Attorneys for Mayorga, a former model and schoolteacher, did not immediately respond to telephone, text and email messages.

The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they are victims of sexual assault. Mayorga gave consent through her lawyers to make her name public.

She has a lawsuit pending against Ronaldo in U.S. court in Las Vegas that accused Ronaldo or those working for him of conspiracy, defamation, breach of contract and coercion and fraud. She says they allowed terms of a confidential financial settlement with Mayorga to become public.

Mayorga's attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, has acknowledged that Mayorga received $375,000 to quiet her following the encounter. He maintained that agreement was made under pressure from "fixers" trying to protect Ronaldo's reputation.

The lawsuit seeks to void the agreement and collect at least $200,000 more from Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, who plays in Italy for the Turin-based soccer club Juventus, is one of the most recognizable and highly paid players in sports.

Mayorga underwent a medical exam to collect DNA evidence shortly after she says Ronaldo assaulted her in June 2009. She spoke again with police for the new investigation, and authorities this year obtained a sample of Ronaldo's DNA through Italian authorities.

Police said the initial investigation was closed in 2009 because Mayorga only identified her attacker as a European soccer player, not by name, and did not say where she claims the rape took place.

The investigation was reopened in last year at the request of her attorneys, shortly before they sued Ronaldo.

Who can really tell what's in the future? ESPN FC, that's who.

Things happen so quickly in football that making predictions is an extremely tricky business, but we have never shied away from the big calls. So here are 20 things that will absolutely, positively, definitely happen in European football in the next three years. Maybe ...

Neymar will sign for Man United

At the time of writing, the unending saga that is Neymar's potential return to Barcelona is dragging on to the point that it doesn't really feel like it will happen. But he has to leave Paris Saint-Germain, so where will he go? He needs a club that has money, has no discernible plan and is desperate. Step forward, Manchester United.

- How Alisson led Liverpool to glory
- Zlatan: 'I don't need to dream, I am the dream'
- ICC Countdown: The big questions facing the top clubs

Klopp will walk away from Liverpool in 2022

By the time Jurgen Klopp's contract with Liverpool ends in 2022, he will have been at Anfield for seven years. It might just be a coincidence that it's the same amount of time he spent in charge of both Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, but this is a man who doesn't overstay his welcome. He left both of those clubs a hero and will want to do that a third time. In fact, the only reason he might stay longer is if Liverpool haven't won the league yet. But ...

Liverpool will win the Premier League at least once

... Because ...

Guardiola will leave City when they're banned from Europe

Manchester City appear to be constantly under suspicion of breaching financial fair play regulations, and if UEFA find them guilty of one of their charges, a Champions League ban is inevitable. Pep Guardiola tends to manage only in the most optimal situations, so one suspects he won't stick around if his team can't compete at the top level.

Mourinho will manage Bayern

Despite once deriding Guardiola's achievements with Bayern Munich on the basis that the Bundesliga is a monopoly, Germany is the notch missing from Jose Mourinho's metaphorical bedpost. Despite winning the title last season, Niko Kovac wasn't convincing, so it wouldn't be a huge shock to see him dismissed in the next year or so. And if he is, Mourinho will be waiting.

Inter will be the team to stop Juve

Juventus have won eight Serie A titles in a row, but their run has to stop soon, and it might be this season if Maurizio Sarri's methods don't take hold quickly. Theoretically Napoli are the next in line to challenge, but Inter have just appointed Antonio Conte, a steel-eyed winner. Would you bet against him? Would you dare?

Pochettino and Kane will move to Madrid

Understandably, Tottenham fans are not keen to entertain the possibility of the two most important figures in their recent history leaving, but it's inevitable at some point. Both Mauricio Pochettino and Harry Kane will need to take a considerable step up in money and prospects to go, and considering the chances are neither would go elsewhere in England, Real Madrid seem like the obvious destination.

Suarez will leave Barca in 2020

The decline has started, and for much of last season, there was talk that Barcelona had decided they needed to move on from Luis Suarez. It seems unlikely that will be reversed, and with the arrival of Antoine Griezmann, by the second half of next season Barca might feel comfortable letting Suarez go.

Arsenal's Champions League absence will continue

When Unai Emery arrived at Arsenal, he faced a big task even if he could get them moving forward just a little bit. However, they have arguably stepped back given the loss of Aaron Ramsey and the probable departure of Laurent Koscielny. It's simply tough to see them have the defensive stability required to make the top four anytime soon. As a consequence ...

Lacazette will be the next to grow weary of it all and leave

Arsenal's only saving grace is that they have two strikers who are the envy of most other top clubs, but how long will those strikers put up with playing in front of mediocrity? Alexandre Lacazette is 28, and at some point he might decide that it isn't worth the bother and seek somewhere with better prospects. See also Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Hector Bellerin.

Newcastle will be relegated

OK, not the most outrageous prediction in the world. Newcastle have already gone down twice under the calamitous Mike Ashley regime, and with scant investment in the team and the apparent conviction that former Sheffield Wednesday manager Steve Bruce is the right man to see them forward, a third feels inevitable.

Lampard will win at least one trophy with Chelsea

The managerial career of Frank Lampard is, very obviously, a work in progress, but there were enough promising signs at Derby that he has a managerial brain and could be a success. He may have to get through his first, transferless year at Stamford Bridge on goodwill, but that might prove to be a perfect season for his apprenticeship, learning at the sharp end but with a degree of job security. Given the strength of Manchester City and Liverpool, the league title might be a stretch, but he will win something.

Ronaldo will become a burden for Juventus

At the moment, Cristiano Ronaldo is still so powerful that he will basically decide when, where and for how long he plays at Juventus. However, he'll turn 35 in February and doesn't strike you as the sort of man who will gracefully step away as his powers diminish. Maurizio Sarri's main job will be figuring how to accommodate the man, the player and the ego while still winning. Not an easy task.

Someone will break the world transfer record for Mbappe

At the time, the €222 million that PSG paid for Neymar felt like an absurd outlier, the sort of figure that someone would make up to sound ridiculous and unattainable. Not so much two years on, though. Of course, someone else might emerge as the most prominent young talent in the game, but at the moment it's Kylian Mbappe, who has already started to yearn for a life away from Paris. For him, someone will pay the money.

Lloris will become a liability for Spurs

You could make an argument that this has already happened to the Tottenham captain, but the rare mistakes from Hugo Lloris have become increasingly common, to the point that his natural authority has eroded. For years Spurs haven't had to worry about who's in goal, but that concern is increasing and is now very much there.

Wolves will break into the Premier League top six

It's become common to predict that Leicester City will crack the hitherto uncrackable top six this summer. But while they have enjoyed a fine transfer window, they are playing catch-up to another side from the Midlands who were incredibly impressive last season, and Wolves have the capacity to improve further. A secondary prediction: Nuno is the most likely manager from the Premier League's other 14 clubs to get a top-six job.

Raiola will take over a club at some point

You may have seen and despaired at Mino Raiola accepting the acclaim of some Juventus fans recently after his client Matthijs de Ligt signed for them, but it just underlines his power in the game that even supporters hanging around outside a stadium know who he is. The next step after controlling players is controlling a club, so while he might not be an official part of a takeover, he may well be the guiding hand behind one.

Alonso will take a big job somewhere

His beginnings are relatively humble, having recently taken the Real Sociedad B job, but Xabi Alonso is simply too smart, erudite and respected not to land a pretty sizable job when a big club feels like it needs a new start soon. This is not to necessarily say he'll be any good -- sometimes even the most cast-iron theories don't work out -- but someone will take a chance.

Sancho won't move anywhere

There will inevitably be a constant trickle of stories linking Jadon Sancho with a move away from Borussia Dortmund, possibly to England, in the next couple of years. But why would he move? He's already very nearly the main man at one of Europe's biggest clubs and, if Bayern have a wobble, is in with a strong chance of silverware. He'll move and get his big payday at some point, but it won't be soon.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won't last the season at Man United

Well, obviously.

Jhye Richardson, Australia's impactful young quick, could be back in contention for the latter stages of the Ashes after he makes his return to cricket from a dislocated shoulder. His route back to match fitness will come via the same path that David Warner and Cameron Bancroft took following their bans last year - a stint in the Northern Territory's winter competition.

Richardson was highly destructive in his two Test matches against Sri Lanka at the start of the year and may also have figured in Australia's World Cup plans were it not for a painful shoulder injury suffered when diving in the field during the ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE in March.

Mystery has surrounded Richardson's fitness status and potential return dates, but it has now been revealed that Richardson will resume bowling competitively on Saturday in the Northern Territory Strike League, a multi-format winter tournament that also offered Warner and Bancroft the chance to play in the wake of the Newlands scandal.

While there is no question of Richardson being named in Australia's Ashes squad at the conclusion of this week's internal trial match in Southampton, the natural attrition of a five-Test series and the obvious eagerness of the Australian selectors to get him back involved may yet see the West Australian return to the fold for the pointy end of the series.

When Richardson was injured in late March, the team doctor Richard Saw indicated that the dislocation was at the moderate end of the scale. "Jhye Richardson has had scans on his right shoulder to assess the extent of his injury," Saw said.

"The scans demonstrated the usual soft tissue damage we expect following a dislocation but fortunately has excluded any bone damage or fracture. "We are hopeful that Jhye will not require surgery but he will see a shoulder specialist early next week for a further opinion. We will be able to provide an update in respect to next steps once we have all the information on the table."

In May, before Australia's departure for the World Cup, Langer said there had been questions over Richardson's exact return date but none over his quality as a bowler.

"Probably a bit more of a cloud over him to be honest," Langer said, when asked about Richardson's fitness. "We'll just keep monitoring him. He's played a lot of cricket leading up to his accident. He's doing everything possible with his rehab. He's a little ripper."

(Humming to themselves) "It's coming home, it's coming home, it's coming…"
Excuse me … wasn't it your mate who stopped me in the street the other day and told me all about the cricket coming home…?

Umm … that sounds entirely probable. I do apologise, he's perfectly harmless really.
No, no, not at all. We watched it for the first time the other day and it was AMAZING!

What, really…?
YES! Oh my God … the tension, the atmosphere, that finish! I can't believe I've spent 40 years on this planet without knowing how awesome this sport is!

[Puffs chest out] Well, yes, it is rather splend…
… it was SOO good … that Super Over decider, what a brilliant concept! And that moment where that bloke dived at the ball to hit it over the rope for a treble! What skill and foresight! I can't believe you guys do this sort of thing every week!

Err, yes... We like to keep things interesting…
We couldn't believe our luck. We were completely wiped out after watching Federer v Djokovic, and then there it was, hiding in plain sight on the other channel! How we hadn't noticed it before, I just don't know!

Well, yes, quite…
Anyway, we've taken the plunge, and booked tickets for the Ashes at Lord's next week!

Ummm [checks date] … next week?
Yes! We heard there were tickets going spare at The Home of Cricket (I know, I couldn't believe it either!) so we thought, let's get ourselves down for the third match on Friday - who knows, we might get to see the decider!

Third day.
Sorry?

Third day. It's all the same match …
Ohhh … so this is one of those famous five-day Test matches you were talking about?

Ummm… yes. Except this one is a four-day Test.
R-i-i-i-i-g-h-t. I thought the Ashes was all about tradition?

Well, it is. But that's between England and Australia. This is between England and Ireland.
Ireland? But wait, aren't they on the same side, like that rugby team? I mean, isn't your captain Irish?

Yes, yes he is. Or was.
Was?

Yeah, he hasn't played Test cricket for seven years.
Okay … that makes no sense at all. Still, those two guys who did all the hitting at the end, they were awesome too, can't wait to see them.

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler? They aren't playing either.
Wow … even they aren't good enough for five, sorry four-day cricket! What a format this must be!

No, they are good enough … they just needed a rest
Oh okay… well, what about that nice young man who threw the ball at the end?

Jason Roy? Oh yes, he's playing! Making his Test debut in fact!
No, not him … though that's nice. That other guy who did all the throwing?

Oh, the bowler, Jofra Archer?
Yes!

Err, no. He's currently getting splattered in paint on a holiday in Barbados.
Right … so who is playing?

Well, if you're lucky, you'll get to see two of England's greatest fast bowlers, with more than 1000 Test wickets between them.
Ooh, don't tell me, don't tell me ... Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett! Oh I'm so pleased, I was telling my mate, "new-ball swing, cross-seam in the middle overs", it's a recipe for greatness, and now you're telling me I'm right!

Umm, no, though they are both jolly good too... no, I'm talking about James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Who?

[Sighs] Look them up online (though only via official rights-holding accounts, of course).
Okay... so, what about the Irish? Anyone we should look out for?

Well, there's Tim Murtagh, who comes from South London and plays for Middlesex, and Boyd Rankin, who's got a fascinating career history. He played for Ireland in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups … where he helped beat England in one of the greatest…
[Picks ear-wax and gazes into middle distance…]

… but actually went on made his Test debut for England against Australia in the Ashes! But then he never got picked again, so he went back to playing for Ireland…
[Interrupting] Fascinating! Anyone else notable?

Well, there's Kevin O'Brien, whose 50-ball century beat England in the 2011 World Cup, and who scored Ireland's first Test century against Pakistan last year.
I've heard of him. Isn't he the Irish Backstop?

No, that's his brother, Niall, who's retired. And it's wicketkeeper…
Yeah, that's what I said... This is getting complicated. Can I have a rethink? Oi, where are you running off to...?!

Liam Plunkett knows all about the ups and down of life as an international cricketer. Having just become a World Cup winner at the age of 34, Plunkett is hopeful that he still has something to give with England, but he admitted that being left out of a squad to tour South Africa in 2016-17 prompted the reinvention that saw him become a key member of the ODI attack.

The circumstances of England's dramatic World Cup success are just beginning to sink in, as Plunkett considered the pressure the squad had been playing under over the last seven weeks. Speaking at a junior cricket session at Dulwich CC, he described the sense the final was destined to go their way even after James Neesham had struck Jofra Archer for six from the second ball of the Super Over.

"The whole World Cup, I was sleeping four hours a night, I couldn't sleep at all, I was on edge," he said. "I never felt tired during the games, I was just excited. Wanted to do well, probably the last World Cup you play in 50-over competition, what you've built up for the last four years as a group. You're ranked No. 1, you know you have the potential to win the World Cup, but after a couple of defeats it's now or never.

"Deep down inside, I don't believe it's written in the stars and stuff, but I had a feeling we could win it. And I still believed that when Jof got hit for six in the last over, still thought he'd run up and bowl wide yorker, wide yorker and game won. Because he's a cool cat under pressure. It's starting to sink in now."

Having come in as the No. 1-ranked side and favourites on home soil, England's tournament threatened to unravel after they lost back-to-back games against Sri Lanka and Australia. That prompted the team to get together and talk about how they were dealing with the stresses of a World Cup - and in Plunkett's case, admit his frustration at being on the sidelines.

"I think people just opened up about how they felt," he said. "We were put in groups, and I think it was Jos [Buttler] who said 'This group of players makes me excited to think we've changed white-ball cricket, and changed the route for kids watching in England. And the general public, don't expect but think England can win series, and we've changed that the last few years.'

"I wasn't playing, I was dropped at the time and my opinion was 'I'm frustrated, inside I'm pissed off a little it because I'm not playing. I feel like I can help win games. I'm not saying I should be playing, but everyone was open saying, I am disappointed, I feel I can help the team.' Everyone understands that, you're allowed to be, as long as you don't show it around the boys, or giving negative energy off, trying to slag people off. It's just because you want to win. It was good to have that chat. Everyone just said, people are nervous, people are excited, people are disappointed."

Plunkett had only played three of England's first seven games, but subsequently returned against India for the must-win game at Edgbaston, taking 3 for 55. He kept his place for the rest of the tournament, adding another three-for in the final as England lifted the World Cup for the first time.

Plunkett has been used to fighting for recognition, however, and admitted that being overlooked during four ODIs in the UAE and then left out of the squad entirely for South Africa three years ago - although he was in the end added as an injury replacement - had been a turning point in his white-ball career. Eoin Morgan, England's captain, told him not to give up and he went away to develop his options as a middle-overs wicket-taker.

"I think at one point, in a T20 series, I thought I'd never play white-ball again. I said, 'listen, I'm not sure I'll play, I may as well just retire', and Morgs was like, 'Mate, I'd hold on a bit. Just chill out.' I actually played a week later, it was a T20 series when we beat Pakistan in Dubai, and it came out really nicely, I bowled 90 clicks and got three-for and all of a sudden I'm back in.

"I didn't get picked for the South Africa series and they said, you need to go and work on some skills. So I went away and worked on my cross-seam deliveries, wobble seam, my cutters and stuff. Even if I felt, I can't bowl as quick as I used to, I still have the deliveries to take wickets and change games. And with the experience you work batsmen out."

With Jos Buttler having revealed that he had spoken to the England psychologist, David Young, about dealing with the possibility of failure at the World Cup, Plunkett said that he had also recognised the importance of dealing with the mental health side of the game.

"I've always been big into it. I had a panic attack a long time ago, but I never knew what it was. I got anxiety around it and I struggled being in one-on-one situations, travelling on a plane. I've always been conscious of that. Maybe three or four years I've been in and out of meditating, tried to a bit of yoga, take a breath - I've always been aware of that.

"They've got Youngy, who's the sports psychologist and you can get help from your county and outside sources. Everything's available to anyone that needs anything. As much as you go for a net, that's also available as well."

Worcestershire232 for 6 (Whiteley 88, D'Oliveira 66*) trail Gloucestershire 354 (Smith 83, Higgins 76, Dent 58, Leach 6-79) by 122 runs

Every moment one spends at Cheltenham is precious but no festival in recent years has been as rich in promise as that which currently garlands the College Ground. The six struck over point by Gareth Roderick to secure last week's victory over Leicestershire already has legendary status in Charlton Kings and by mid-afternoon on this second day the prospect of a second, rather more comfortable win for Gloucestershire beguiled both the serious drinkers in the Old Patesians marquee and the county chief executives enjoying their reunion at the College Lawn End.

Replying to the home side's 354, Worcestershire were 68 for 5 when Brett D'Oliveira joined Ross Whiteley. Most people agreed Chris Dent would enforce the follow-on; few considered the possibility he might not have the chance to do so. Yet Whiteley had already begun to bat against most of the memories his muscles and temperament had acquired over seasons of short-form cricket. He waited until his 43rd ball before hitting his first four and his six over midwicket off Ethan Bamber seemed an eccentric highlight from a different match.

D'Oliveira, dropped by Miles Hammond at second slip off Ryan Higgins when only 3, joined him in a sixth-wicket partnership of 146 characterised by rigorous self-discipline. Whiteley hit three sixes but had earned the right to do so rather than brusquely asserting it in a manner likely to get him into trouble. Four years to the day since he made his last century, against Yorkshire at Scarborough, he was only 12 runs short of three figures when Matt Taylor got a ball that was 75 overs old to fly from just short of a length, take the edge of the bat and fly via James Bracey's gloves to Benny Howell at slip.

But our day ended with D'Oliveira unbeaten on 66 albeit Gloucestershire's bowlers will be encouraged by the prospect of using a nearly new ball in the morning. A game which both sides need to win is far better balanced than appeared likely in mid-afternoon and we have two fine days ahead of us. "There are great spiritual advantages to be had in that town," Nicholas Bulstrode informs his wife when describing Cheltenham in Middlemarch.

Yet advantages of any sort were the home side's monopoly earlier in a day when Worcestershire's top-order batsmen seemed as ripe for the picking as pears in late September. When their first dig dwindled from 24 without loss to 68 for 5 the statisticians pointed out it was the fifth successive innings in which they had lost those wickets for less than 85 runs and the sixth time in seven matches when Worcestershire's top five first-innings wickets had fallen for less than a hundred.

Gloucestershire's bowlers fed on such insecurity and their own Puritan disciplines offered Joe Leach's batsmen no repose. A hesitant Riki Wessels edged Bamber to Benny Howell in his side's sixth over; Callum Ferguson was pinioned in his crease by David Payne and nicked a catch to Hammond. After lunch Gloucestershire's can-do approach was epitomised by Bracey who took an outstanding leg-side catch off Ryan Higgins to remove Ed Barnard and then took an even better one standing up to dismiss Daryl Mitchell off the same bowler.

For all that he is having a poor season Mitchell remains the batsman Worcestershire's opponents would most like to remove but Bracey's positioning was a shrewd attempt to counteract his tendency to come down the wicket. That, though, was almost the end of Gloucestershire's absolute dominance. The rest of the day saw Whiteley and D'Oliveira give their team some hope they might yet achieve a victory they sorely need. And their resistance recalled a first session in which one of Worcestershire's most loyal servants had achieved a fine career landmark.

Indeed the morning has begun in an atmosphere of multi-faceted incipience and general enticement. Cleeve Hill was dark green beneath benevolent cloud and the old paths towards Winchcombe were beguiling in the gentlest haze. Tom Smith was on 79, five runs short of his career-best score, Gloucestershire were 11 runs shy of a fourth batting bonus point and Leach needed two wickets to reach 300 in first-class cricket for Worcestershire. The third of these landmarks was the first to be reached when Leach, bowling as tightly as ever, knocked back Payne's off stump in the sixth over of the day and had Bamber caught by a diving Ben Cox in the tenth. The bowler greeted this wicket with a guttural roar of triumph. Smith was left unbeaten on 83 but he will not give a monkey's if his side have 23 points in the bag on Wednesday evening.

Neither will any other home supporters. There must, one imagines, be better things in life than watching cricket at Cheltenham. Yet on a warm, dream-laden evening at the College Ground, with the Glorious Glosters slightly in the ascendant, and the air scented with possibility it was awfully difficult to think what those things might be. So we ate oranges on the pavilion balcony and watched the evening light on distant, tree-ringed fields.