Lancashire Thunder 151 for 6 (Winfield 56) beat Yorkshire Diamonds 142 by nine runs

Yorkshire Diamonds captain Lauren Winfield's excellent 56 followed by a polished bowling and fielding display under pressure secured a thrilling Kia Super League win by nine runs over Lancashire Thunder at Liverpool.

Winfield hit seven fours and a six in a 45-ball knock which underpinned a Diamonds total of 151 for 6 and took her beyond 500 career Super League runs.

The Diamonds then soaked up a Lancashire fightback from 83 for 4 in the 14th, including the loss of India star Harmanpreet Kaur for 37, to bowl their hosts out for 142.

Legspinner Katie Levick had Ellie Threlkeld caught behind with the first ball of the last over, defending 10, to secure a first victory in three.

The Thunder, for whom Emma Lamb impressed with a late 32 off 14 balls, have now lost four from four.

Winfield, having won the toss, and Alyssa Healy shared an excellent opening partnership of 68 inside 10 overs.

Winfield was particularly strong down the ground in her third fifty since the KSL started in 2016.

By the time she reached her latest milestone, off 42 balls, she had lost Healy - bowled by Sophia Dunkley's legspin having played on trying to reverse sweep.

Lancashire, despite a bright 33 from Hollie Armitage, fought back well, with Ecclestone and Lamb's offspin both striking, along with two wickets for Kate Cross.

After Ecclestone had uprooted Winfield's middle stump to make it 106 for 2 in the 15th over, Cross bowled Armitage and had Indian Jemimah Rodrigues superbly caught at deep midwicket by Sune Luus.

Twelve then came off Ecclestone in the last over to secure a competitive, but not insurmountable total.

The start of Lancashire's chase was eventful as Australian Tahlia McGrath and fellow overseas Luus, the South African both hit boundaries as 10 came off Linsey Smith's first over.

Then, in the third, Helen Fenby bowled a head-high full toss before McGrath hit the free hit for six. But the legspinner gained revenge towards the end of over by uprooting McGrath's leg stump.

The Thunder then lost their second wicket in the fourth, leaving them 23 for 2, when Luus miscued the impressive left-arm seamer Katie George to mid-off.

And that was when the Diamonds, chiefly with spin added to George, started to turn the game in their favour.

Smith, New Zealand offspinner Leigh Kasperek and legspinner Levick all bowled tidy overs as the scored moved to 41 for 2 after 7 overs.

Harmanpreet, key to home hopes, launched Kasperek over long-off for six in the eighth over and they reached halfway at 62 for 2, needing 90 more for victory.

But she then lost her partner Dunkley, who was caught at mid-off as medium pacer Alice Davidson-Richards struck, leaving the score at 69 for 3 in the 12th.

Harmanpreet was caught on 35 off a Smith no-ball before, having added two more runs, falling to Davidson-Richards when she sliced a catch to compatriot Rodrigues at deep cover - 83 for four in the 14th.

Lamb's superb 32 included a six off Davidson-Richards to keep the game alive, taking the target to 28 off 18 balls. But wickets continued to tumble, including herself caught at point off Smith.

Ultimately, wickets falling proved to be the issue for Lancashire, who lost Georgie Boyce and Cross to run outs, as they remain rooted to the foot of the table.

It's a been a fair few years now since Australia's formidable Test record at Lord's has been factored into the Ashes build-up - consecutive thumpings in 2009 and 2013 rather punctured their proud boast of not having lost at the ground since 1934. But on their last visit here in 2015, they atoned for those setbacks with a brutal 405-run victory - with a certain Steven Smith leading the line with 215 from 346 balls.

And now they are back at their favourite home from home, with Smith exuding an invincibility on English soil not seen since Graeme Smith's extraordinary awakening in the summer of 2003, and England - for all the hype and expectation surrounding Jofra Archer - looking as vulnerable in a home Ashes campaign as they have been in a generation.

It's not simply that England are 1-0 down in the series - that's nothing new for this set of players, as Root was happy to point out on the eve of the contest. They've been behind on home soil three times in the last six years, and recovered on each occasion, to beat India in 2014, and draw with Pakistan twice in 2016 and 2018.

But this time, the concern is the gulf between hope and expectation that appears to be opening up between the two teams, for all that Root was setting out to be bullish on the eve of the contest.

"We're in English conditions, we really back ourselves to come back strong after last week," Root said, after it had been pointed out that England have now lost six of their last seven Tests against Australia dating back to 2015, with only a bore-draw in Melbourne for respite. "I'm expecting a big response from the boys. We've proven that we do that, time and time again, when we've been defeated, especially at home. Last week will have hurt everyone and everyone will be absolutely desperate to go and win this week. And I expect nothing less."

That's a lot of expectation to shoehorn into one answer. But does Root really expect England to perform better than they did in the crunch moments at Edgbaston, or he is merely hoping that they will? Does he expect their misfiring middle-order to find renewed resolve with the series in the balance, or is he simply hoping that that is the case?

Or, to flip the sentiment on its head: Do England really expect Archer - and to a lesser extent, Jack Leach - to add a sting to their attack that Smith in particular so expertly drew in the first Test? Of course they don't … though they fervently hope that they might. "He's got a good bouncer and bowls at a good pace consistently, so I'm sure he'll cause problems on most surfaces," said Root of Archer. "Hopefully, he can exploit this one."

ALSO READ: 'More ready than I've ever been' - Archer primed for Test debut

Instead, it is Australia who really expects … and that has tended to be a deadly mindset when these two sides have clashed in the past. Whereas England tend to be a danger to themselves whenever they try to be frontrunners in a series, getting on top and staying on top is far more in tune with the Australian psyche, especially one that has been rebooted by a brains trust including both Justin Langer and Steve Waugh.

In fact, Australia's plans are falling so serenely into place that, in resting James Pattinson while tantalising both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood with the carrot of a Lord's comeback, the management have been able to cast one eye towards next week's third Test at Headingley, even while ensuring their chosen 12 keep their thoughts firmly fixed in the present.

"It's always nice from a captaincy and a leadership point of view when you've got two senior players who are world-class left out and they cop it on the chin, run drinks, and train their backsides off in the lunch hours and tea breaks," said Australia's captain, Tim Paine. "It sets a really good example for the rest of our team."

ALSO READ: Pattinson rested, Hazlewood likely to play Lord's Test

It's certainly not a policy that guarantees success, but as a mitigation against failure, it seems light-years removed from England's current suck-it-and-see approach - one which, in the penultimate month of this most exhausting of summers, seems now to be relying more on a Pakistani-style quest for Haal than any actual long-term planning.

And who's to say, just like Pakistan on any given day - or like Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad on the final day of the Ireland Test last month - a combination of rich talent and faint desperation won't propel this set of players to extraordinary and series-turning heights. There's certainly little doubt that, pound for pound and irrespective of fatigue and motivation, a team containing world-class individuals such as Root, Archer, Ben Stokes and Jason Roy ought to be a match for any opponent.

But, just as Australia couldn't be any more at home at Lord's - moseying around the pavilion as if to the manor born, and with their kids performing cartwheels on the square as they saunter back from the nets - so it is England who most resemble a put-upon touring team.

One Test down out of five, and among their fast-bowling stocks, already Mark Wood, Olly Stone and James Anderson are sidelined, with only the latter a realistic chance of being fit before the end of the series. And while Joe Root's promotion to No. 3 has applied a band-aid to their longstanding top-order flimsiness, the recent absence of Championship cricket makes the sourcing of battle-ready replacements as problematic as it would have been had the series been taking place Down Under.

"A big responsibility comes on the players, making sure that they look after themselves and keep themselves as fit as possible," said Root. "Throughout the rest of this campaign, there are certain things which you can't control and sometimes you get thrown a bad hand and you have to deal with it. And we've certainly responded well to that in the past when that's happened. And we've got to make sure that we do exactly the same this time. We've got some very talented players and bowlers that are fully capable of taking 20 wickets this week."

And yet, to riff on a recurring theme of the past month, England have already scaled their Everest for this summer, and in such glorious fashion too, on this very ground. Australia, by contrast, over-achieved in reaching the World Cup semi-finals, but only now are they really beginning to hit their stride. They've not won the Ashes in England for 18 years and counting, but much like England in the white-ball campaign just gone, they know they'll rarely get a better chance to drive home their advantage.

West Indies have won only two of their last 11 completed ODIs. It's an alarming stat on paper, but the team, according to Carlos Brathwaite, isn't doing as badly as those results might suggest.

"I don't think we are that far away," Brathwaite said after West Indies' training session on Tuesday. "We just continue to miss key points in the game. If we look back at the World Cup it is the same thing. If we look at the game the other day we weren't cruising, but we were in a good position, and then we lost three or four quick wickets.

"We are just missing a few key moments that could have turned one or two loses into wins and make us look a little better, give us a little momentum, and start to try to win series more consistently."

Chasing 270 in 46 overs in Sunday's second ODI, West Indies lost a potentially winnable game when they slipped from 179 for 4 to 182 for 8. Brathwaite felt it wasn't a lack of belief or skills that was causing West Indies to let such key moments slip, but a failure to execute those skills.

"I don't think it is belief per se," he said. "I think if you ask the guys in the dressing room if they believe they can win - I think they do believe they can win. The execution of that belief is lacking in key moments like I said. So, I don't think it's a lack of belief or a lack of passion and in most cases it's not even a lack of skill, but just executing what we want to execute the key moments of the game, which was the case in majority of the World Cup and this series so far."

As to what the players need to do in order to become more consistent, and not repeat mistakes, Brathwaite said they would not find time in the middle of international series to work on their games, and would need to put in that work at the levels below, with their respective domestic teams.

"It's practice. It's conversation," Brathwaite said. "If I am being brutally honest, there is not much we can change on the international tour. That is the challenge for the [domestic] franchise to be able to do enough work, get enough information from the guys at the top. and start implementing stuff. On the tour we try to get the mind right, we try to, as a group, have conversations and honest conversations - not just patting them on the back but having honest conversations, sometimes even being harsh and try to become better players eventually."

Speaking about his own game, he said he's been focusing on his fitness, and his mindset as a batsman.

"We are having a lot of honest conversations with the coaches and the staff and I think one thing that's kept me back is my fitness. I am working very, very hard in the past 12 to 14 months on my fitness - I believe I can get a bit stronger as well.

"I think batting-wise I have to reprogram my thinking in thinking about hitting and swiping and batting properly. I think there has been a conscious effort for me to try to help the team as a batsman and a bowler and try to give myself the best chance for the team and try to help West Indies win cricket games."

Going back to his 82-ball 101 against New Zealand at the World Cup, Brathwaite said he had walked in with time to build his innings - a rarity for a lower-order batsman like him - and that his challenge would be to perform consistently even without that luxury.

"I had a lot of time to bat. I had a clear thought process," he said. "I was working very hard off the pitch, as I am now, with the bat, in trying to do the right things and the simple things as long as possible. I had enough time so I could play myself in getting so at the back end when I normally come in to bat to start my innings I already had [faced] 40-50 balls.

"The challenge for me is that that situation won't always present itself. Obviously, being at home, we have changed the combination a bit. There I played at seven [six], here at eight, nine or maybe seven - the thing I take away from that innings is the way I structured and built the innings which allowed me to kick off at the back end."

With a full training session under their belt, Brathwaite said West Indies were in good spirits for the third ODI, and were confident of squaring the series.

"We drew the last series against England at home as well," he said. "And then going into the last game it's for us to get the batting in order - if we get good starts going into the back end that'll give us a good chance.

"I think the batting has much improved especially since the T20s and from the overall batting performance in the World Cup as well. But, we didn't close it off. We batted well in the second game as well, it was about closing it off - hopefully that happens in the next game as well and for the lower half to close the game."

MEDINAH, Ill. -- Tiger Woods arrived at Medinah Country Club on Tuesday afternoon and said it wasn't until Tuesday morning that he decided he would play in this week's BMW Championship.

Woods withdrew last Friday from the Northern Trust with a mild oblique strain after shooting 75 in the opening-round of the first FedEx Cup playoff event.

"I feel good,'' Woods said. "Feel a lot better than I felt last week. Felt good this morning, so I thought I'd give it a go.''

Woods said he would be receiving treatment but didn't expect to hit balls or play a practice round Tuesday. There was a chance he might work on his short game. He has a 7:50 a.m. (ET) pro-am tee time on Wednesday.

The golfer has complained of stiffness and soreness throughout a disappointing summer that has seen him play in just five tournaments since his Masters victory in April, including missed cuts at the PGA Championship and The Open.

He said after withdrawing in New Jersey that he hoped to play in this week's playoff event, the second of three tournaments that concludes the PGA Tour season. Wednesday's pro-am gives him a chance to further gauge his ability to play.

Woods has steadily fallen in the FedEx Cup rankings to 38th, meaning he needs a good result this week to qualify for next week's Tour Championship, as the top 30 advance to East Lake. The PGA Tour projects Woods likely needing a finish no worse than 11th to make it to Atlanta.

That is where Woods won his 80th PGA Tour title last year, holding off the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler to win for the first time in five years. At the time, he was just 17 months removed from the spinal fusion surgery that helped revive his career but kept him from swinging a golf club for six months in 2017.

Throughout 2018, Woods rarely showed any discomfort, and even through the Masters this year -- a span of six tournaments -- he appeared to have no major issues with his back.

But starting at the PGA at Bethpage in May, Woods has never looked the same. His swing speed is down from a year ago and his scores up. Other than the Masters, where a final-round 70 held off Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele for his 15th major, Woods has not contended in any other stroke-play event. He tied for fifth at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, where he made it to the quarterfinals.

Woods had never previously reported any oblique issues -- they are muscles in the abdominal area and are responsible for core control and rotation -- but he has said on numerous occasions that although his spine is fused, the "force has to go somewhere" and that it leads to some other issues he has experienced. Core muscle strains often occur due to repetitive rotating.

"He's being smart," Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg said Friday. "I've said in the past, years ago, he just would have continued to play through all of this. If he had the same mentality he had years and years ago, he wouldn't be playing golf at all right now. He said it again the other day, this is the new normal. He's had multiple surgeries all over his body. These things now are not debilitating enough to keep him out for months at a time, but just enough that he can't compete at the level he needs to compete at. He shouldn't put himself in a position where he could put himself out for a long period of time. If you feel you should not go, you should not go."

Woods' first-round tee time is Thursday at 12:54 p.m. (ET) with Billy Horschel and C.T. Pan.

NEW YORK -- In a boost to the NFL's efforts around social justice, Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by iconic rapper, businessman and activist Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, has agreed to lead the league's endeavors in music and entertainment.

As part of the long-term partnership, Roc Nation will advise on the selection of artists for NFL tentpole events, including the Super Bowl, as well as play a key role in the production and promotion of new music. The NFL's union with Roc Nation kicks off as the league celebrates its 100th season and serves as a commitment from both parties to amplify the league's Inspire Change initiative.

Among the most important benefits to the NFL is that Roc Nation, through its position as a global entertainment leader, could enhance the Inspire Change platform in ways that the league likely would not be able to on its own. The program, which is run by the league and its players, focuses on education and economic advancement, improving police-community relations and criminal justice reform.

Carter believes Roc Nation and the NFL will accomplish big things together.

"With its global reach, the National Football League has the platform and opportunity to inspire change across the country," he said. "Roc Nation has shown that entertainment and enacting change are not mutually exclusive ideas -- instead, we unify them. This partnership is an opportunity to strengthen the fabric of communities across America."

Likewise, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is excited about the possibilities.

"Roc Nation is one of the most globally influential and impactful organizations in entertainment," Goodell said. "The NFL and Roc Nation share a vision of inspiring meaningful social change across our country. We are thrilled to partner with Roc Nation and look forward to making a difference in our communities together."

The deal calls for Roc Nation, which will also reach out to artists who are not attached to the company, to quarterback the creation and distribution of music content across multiple music and streaming services, as well as consult and collaborate on the production, promotion and marketing of live music events. A Pro Bowl community concert, original music, artists podcasts and a live visual album may be produced under the new banner. The agreement does not call for Carter to perform at the Super Bowl.

For the NFL, the potentially positive impact of Carter being willing to join forces with the league -- especially at this time -- cannot be overstated.

Despite its significant recent efforts to back players in championing social justice, the NFL still lacks credibility with many African Americans, even some who identify as being among the league's fans, because of the Colin Kaepernick situation.

During the 2016 season, the then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback knelt during the national anthem to draw attention to police brutality and systemic oppression. Since the end of that season, Kaepernick has gone unsigned. In February, Kaepernick settled a collusion grievance against the league for an undisclosed financial settlement.

Carter, who has been public in his support for Kaepernick, is among the most revered figures in the black community. Carter is also a vocal activist.

Through REFORM Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group he founded with acclaimed hip-hop artist Meek Mill, Carter aspires to overhaul the criminal justice system by "changing the laws, policies and practices that perpetuate injustice," according to the organization's website. In a league in which the on-field workforce is almost 70% black, having Carter involved at a high level could please many players.

Right-handed reliever Greg Holland and the Washington Nationals have reached an agreement on a minor league contract, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

The 33-year-old Holland was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks last week. He was 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA and 17 saves in 22 chances this season.

He lost the job as Arizona's closer after a blown save in late July. His ERA was 2.33 at the end of June but then began climbing as he allowed at least one earned run in seven of his last 13 appearances for the Diamondbacks.

"We took the role away from him -- we thought it would take some pressure off him. But it didn't get better,'' Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said when the team let Holland go.

Holland, a three-time All-Star who led the National League in saves in 2017 with 41 for the Colorado Rockies, was 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA in 24 games for the Nationals last season.

Washington is leading the NL wild-card race even though its bullpen has been a problem throughout this year, particularly in the eighth inning. Its 6.05 ERA entering Tuesday is the worst in the NL.

After Tanner Rainey allowed two runs in the eighth and closer Sean Doolittle gave up two more in the ninth as a 7-2 cushion became a 7-6 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, Doolittle acknowledged feeling worn down.

He already has a career-high 27 saves, despite blowing five chances, and has finished a career-high 47 games. Doolittle has pitched in five of Washington's past seven games.

"I'm starting to feel it a little bit,'' Doolittle said. "These are the nights where you've got to dig deep and grind it out.''

The Nationals repeatedly have cycled through relievers in a bid to fix things, including getting rid of two offseason acquisitions the club hoped would offer late-game assistance: Trevor Rosenthal and Kyle Barraclough.

Among the pitchers added during the course of the season are Fernando Rodney, Jonny Venters and three trade-deadline pickups: Daniel Hudson, Hunter Strickland and Roenis Elias, who is currently on the injured list.

MLB Network first reported the Nationals' agreement with Holland.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Christian Coleman, Dina Asher-Smith, Holly Bradshaw, Nafi Thiam and Thomas Röhler are among the entries for the Diamond League meet

Over 60 global medallists – including 10 reigning Olympic champions, two Paralympic champions and 13 reigning world champions – are among those set to compete at the Alexander Stadium for the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham on Sunday (August 18).

The start lists for the IAAF Diamond League meeting are now live and available here.

The men’s 100m is headed up by world 60m record-holder and world 100m silver medallist Christian Coleman.

The American is the fastest man in the world this year with a time of 9.81 and in Birmingham he will face Commonwealth champion Akani Simbine and triple Olympic medallist Andre de Grasse, while British interest comes in the form of world 4x100m champion Adam Gemili and European 4x100m champion Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.

A strong line-up is also set for the women’s 200m, with British record-holder Dina Asher-Smith taking on two-time world champion Dafne Schippers, Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson and six-time Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

In the men’s 400m, European champion Matt Hudson-Smith returns to action in his local stadium, while the women’s 800m features American Ajee Wilson, second-quickest in the world this year, plus GB’s in-form Lynsey Sharp and Commonwealth bronze medallist Natoya Goule.

Paralympic champions Sophie Hahn and Kadeena Cox are among the entries for the women’s T35-38 100m.

The women’s long jump is set to welcome heptathlon stars Nafissatou Thiam and Katarina Johnson-Thompson as part of a stacked field which includes world indoor champion Ivana Spanovic, who returns to the city where she won the aforementioned title. Lorraine Ugen is on the hunt for a world qualifying standard and will be looking thrive on the occasion in the West Midlands.

Athletes to have withdrawn from the event include British hurdler Andrew Pozzi and high-jump star Mutaz Essa Barshim, due to ‘small and non-serious’ niggles.

Entry lists for the event can be found here, while tickets for the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham are on sale at https://www2.theticketfactory.com/british-athletics/online/

See the August 15 edition of AW for an event-by-event preview to the meeting.

American teenager Coco Gauff has been awarded a wildcard for the women's singles at the US Open this month.

Gauff, 15, became the youngest player in the Open era to qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon, beating former world number one Venus Williams en route to the fourth round.

The 2011 champion Sam Stosur will join Gauff in the main draw at the US Open after also accepting a wildcard.

The tournament begins at Flushing Meadows in New York on 26 August.

Lewis Ludlam sat down last summer to work out his goals for the new season. Number one was to break into the Northampton first team and hopefully "play a few games". If all went well, a new contract at Christmas time, either at Saints or somewhere else.

For Ruaridh McConnochie, it was a case of settling into 15-a-side rugby with Bath after switching from the sevens programme.

Not even England head coach Eddie Jones - a man who has talked for three and a half years about his carefully laid World Cup plans - could have envisaged taking either to the World Cup.

Yet on Monday Jones named the pair in his squad of 31. McConnochie has yet to be capped; Ludlam only made his debut 24 hours earlier.

'Bizarre and surreal'

The players - World Cup 'bolters' in the extreme - are still in a state of disbelief.

"It's been bizarre," Ludlam told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast. "This time last year I was fighting for a contract at my club.

"I was picking some of these England guys in my fantasy team a few years ago in sixth form - posing for pictures outside Twickenham with Dan Cole - and now I am going out and playing with them! It's surreal."

McConnochie said: "I would be lying if I said 12 weeks ago I thought I would be here."

Given the premium placed on experience at World Cups - a mantra oft-repeated by Jones himself - these kind of late picks appear risky.

But not according to the England boss, who says bringing in rookies at the 11th hour was always part of the masterplan, with scrum-half Willi Heinz and hooker Jack Singleton also making late charges on to the plane.

"We were always looking for that," Jones insisted. "You can't control when a player comes on to the scene, and you can't control how quickly they are going to grow.

"Some players grow, and some players shrink. Both those two boys came into camp and they grew."

'I was a superfan until 24!'

Ludlam's route to the top has been convoluted; he only secured a place in the Northampton team last season at the age of 23.

He credits Saints director of rugby Chris Boyd with giving him an opportunity, while Jones also received a glowing character reference from the Kiwi before selecting Ludlam over some Test veterans.

"Chris Boyd gave him a big rap," Jones explained. "We thought we would roll the dice and get him into camp, and each week he just grows a little bit more."

Ludlam added: "[Fellow Northampton flanker] Teimana Harrison had a kid in the Barbarians week and I was invited in to train as cover. Eddie saw me train there and it's just been a whirlwind."

But while Ludlam had represented England age-grade teams in his youth, as a teenager McConnochie was playing for Cranbrook in Kent, in the sixth tier of the English rugby pyramid. At university he represented Nuneaton on the weekends in National Division Three.

"People forget I was superfan until I was 24," he laughed.

"I wasn't involved in any academies, and went to uni to do a teaching degree - or aimed to do a teaching degree by the end of it - but in my last six months I was offered a trial with the sevens and got a contract."

After winning a silver medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016 - the rings tattooed on his right bicep act as a permanent reminder of that achievement - McConnochie was signed by Bath in 2018, capitalising on back-three injuries to make a startling impression in the second half of the season. A shock call-up to the England training squad in June followed.

"It was pretty last minute, and it did take me by surprise," he admitted. "I just wanted to go into each week and live it as a bonus, because it's incredible."

As well as their versatility and talent on the field, both men have impressed away from training with their attitude and character, embodying the "samurai spirit" and zest for life Jones wants from his men in Japan.

And whatever happens come September and October, Ludlam and McConnochie have set an example to sportspeople everywhere that it's never too late.