Full-back Simon Hammersley has exercised a relegation release clause to leave Newcastle Falcons and remain in the Premiership with Sale Sharks.

The 26-year-old went past 100 games for the Falcons this season, and departs having played 103 matches.

Newcastle were relegated from the Premiership after finishing bottom.

"We spent a huge amount of time and effort developing him into a quality Premiership player," director of rugby Dean Richards said.

"We had hoped to keep our squad together, with everyone fighting together to regain our top-flight status.

"Whilst I understand Simon's motivation to play at the highest level it is really disappointing to lose someone of his ability, who we have invested a huge amount of time and effort into."

Three-time Formula One champion Niki Lauda died Monday at the age of 70. Widely respected across all motorsports disciplines, Lauda was an inspiration to many in the motorsports world.

In the hours after his passing, many in the motorsports world took to Twitter to pay tribute to the Austrian racing great. SPEED SPORT has collected some of those messages below.

“From success, you learn absolutely nothing. From failure & setbacks, conclusions can be drawn. That goes for your private life as well as your career.” – Niki Lauda.

A true icon of our sport. Saddened for the entire Motorsport community. #RIPNiki

— Ryan Hunter-Reay (@RyanHunterReay) May 21, 2019

RIP Champ ?? Hard to believe anything could happen to the drivers who survived that period. A real motorsport legend, Niki Lauda ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Q3CXcfrOBw

— Jack Harvey (@jack_harvey42) May 21, 2019

RIP the Great #NikiLauda. Here’s our last meeting in #MonteCarlo in ‘18 We first met while making the movie Rush. The F1 world knows of his grit & intensely competitive spirit, but that matched w/his keen intelligence & wisdom made him a distinctively remarkable man. a force. pic.twitter.com/SMizNt9Hge

— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) May 21, 2019

My heart is heavy today, mourning the loss of a colleague and friend. Niki Lauda… a true-blue wonderful man pic.twitter.com/iOLPAZ9NG1

— Mario Andretti (@MarioAndretti) May 21, 2019

Very sad to hear the world has lost Niki. He’s always been a driver who’s story and work ethic I’ve really admired. Rest In Peace champ. pic.twitter.com/SOlkBoCI16

— Zach Veach (@ZachVeach) May 21, 2019

RIP Niki ??#legend pic.twitter.com/E2dM5emEYU

— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) May 21, 2019

Everyone at Ferrari is deeply saddened at the news of the death of our dear friend Niki Lauda. He won two of his three world championships with us and will always be in our hearts and in those of all Ferrari fans. Our sincere condolences go to all his family and friends.#CiaoNiki pic.twitter.com/mbzZBNZiRZ

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 21, 2019

Niki Lauda was a pure example of hard work pays off! He said he had a great ass & could feel everything the car was doing. My Hero and I wish I was a Senna but I often think I was born more like a Lauda! Thank you Niki for all that you gave the sport, sad you have left us ? pic.twitter.com/XcAW1AfGco

— Simon Pagenaud (@simonpagenaud) May 21, 2019

Very sad day.
Rest in peace Legend. ? pic.twitter.com/aN5w32MAe5

— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) May 21, 2019

Shocked by the loss of Niki Lauda. He was a true legend in our sport and someone I had great respect for. May he rest in peace #RIPNiki pic.twitter.com/NCCduqNQuU

— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) May 21, 2019

Immense sadness to hear that Niki Lauda died – Ouch – one of my hero’s – gladly raced in his era – strong, focused, dedicated to the end result, no matter what, admired, brilliant, RIP my friend. pic.twitter.com/RkUYDA27GD

— Derek Daly (@DerekDaly500) May 21, 2019

The only reason Scott Berry was in Las Vegas back in January was to operate a booth at a sales conference. A casual gambler, he likes blackjack and craps but hadn't gotten a chance to hit the tables on this work trip.

But before his trip to McCarran International Airport to head home, the St. Louis native made a few fateful futures bets on his favorite teams --- $400 on the St. Louis Blues to win the Stanley Cup at 250-1 and $100 on the St. Louis Cardinals to win the World Series at 15-1 -- at the Caesars sportsbook at Paris Las Vegas.

Four months later, his Blues bet -- which would win $100,000 -- has a legitimate chance to cash as St. Louis heads into Game 6 of the Western Conference finals with a 3-2 series lead over the San Jose Sharks.

"I bet with the heart on this one," Berry told ESPN. "Before I hit my flight I decided that had I been here gambling I probably would've lost around $500, so I pulled that out of the bank account. My max withdrawal was $500, so that was all I could take out. I put $100 on the Cardinals at 15-1 and dumped the rest on the Blues."

After looking at the odds at a couple of sportsbooks (the Blues were only 150-1 at The Bellagio), Berry placed the wager, got on the plane and texted his brother and father about the bet. With the Blues out of the playoff picture in January, they weren't as optimistic as Berry about St. Louis' chances.

"Preseason, I knew they had a good squad," Berry told ESPN. "But I'm no pro. My brother and father are a little more risk-adverse than I am. They probably thought I was an idiot."

Berry said he didn't start thinking the ticket had a legitimate chance to cash until the Blues crept into the playoff picture a few months ago. He has bought tickets to every home game throughout the playoffs on StubHub.

Through PropSwap, a third-party marketplace not associated with any casinos that allows bettors to buy and sell futures bets, Berry has received several offers to buy his ticket. He turned down a $20,000 offer for the ticket before Game 7 against the Dallas Stars ... and then watched the game in the stands with a potential $100,000 pay day riding on the outcome.

"That was tough, probably not the smartest move," he said. "People were trying to talk to me during the game, but I wasn't really responding. My face was as white as a ghost. After Pat Maroon, the St. Louis native, buried that goal, I was in tears there for a hot minute. It was pretty emotional."

Berry doesn't have a price threshold he's looking for in order to sell the ticket, instead trusting his gut and fandom to lead him.

"I'm not a millionaire by any means; I could obviously use the money," he noted. "It's one of those things where you're stubborn and betting with your heart."

While his brother wants him to take the payout, Berry remains undecided, though he joked that he needs the money to pay his StubHub fees. If the Blues make the Stanley Cup Final, he'll "be there for as many games as possible."

On Monday afternoon, Berry received a new high offer of $24,000.

"I heard about that Texas Tech guy [in the NCAA tournament], and that was a shame," Berry lamented. "I don't want to be that guy. I want this to have a happy ending."

The San Jose Sharks are down 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference finals. But they've come back from such a deficit before, as they engineered a comeback against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. Do they have another such run in them? Our experts debate.

Will the Sharks come back and win the series?

Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer: I'm about 80 percent on the St. Louis Blues closing out the series in six games, and about 20 percent on the Sharks rallying to win it. That 20 percent is based less on logic than it is based on the fact that ... look, I've covered San Jose for three rounds. I've seen stuff you wouldn't believe. A rally from down three games to one. A phantom major penalty in a Game 7 and their power play scoring four times during the ensuing man advantage. An obscurely enforced offside play caught by a coach's challenge, taking away a goal in another Game 7. A blatant hand pass in an overtime before a game-winning goal in this series.

I've seen enough to consider there's something cosmic going on here. But I've also seen Erik Karlsson looking like he should be getting prepped for offseason groin surgery, and a Sharks offense that has gone drier than day-old toasted ravioli, with just one goal since Game 3. What the Blues took away from that game wasn't frustration with that blown hand pass call, but an acknowledgement that it should have never reached that moment via Logan Couture's 6-on-5 goal near the end of regulation. Game 5 was the culmination of that education, as the Blues never took their feet off the gas pedal in a 5-0 rout. That killer instinct -- the Blues are 4-0 in elimination games or games that forced one -- and Jordan Binnington's continued unflappability tell me to believe in the 80 percent ... while side-eyeing the 20 percent. Blues in six.

Emily Kaplan, national NHL reporter: I like the Blues to win this series, since they only need to win one of the next two. The Sharks are banged up, and Game 6 feels like it will be played without at least some of their hobbled stars, or some not playing at 100 percent (Peter DeBoer is playing coy on Erik Karlsson, Tomas Hertl and Joe Pavelski updates).

But say it goes to Game 7. St. Louis is the best road team in these playoffs, going 7-2 so far. The Blues' forecheck is stifling right now. They're getting production from all over -- 18 different players have scored -- while the top-end forwards such as Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz are finding their stride. What's more, they have a locked-in, hot goaltender. Those are the same elements that helped guide the Bruins into the Stanley Cup Final, and I see St. Louis joining them there.

Chris Peters, NHL draft and prospects writer: There is only one way the Sharks can get back into this series, and that is Martin Jones playing out of his mind. As the Sharks' offense stagnates, it's almost entirely on Jones to at least give them a chance. However, if that's San Jose's hope, the odds don't seem to be in their favor. Jones has given up three or more goals in four of the five games so far this series, and hasn't had a level of consistency this season that gives one faith he'll find it now. Jones has a .902 save percentage in these playoffs, by far the lowest mark of his career, and a minus-8.51 goals saved above average. Even with those numbers, he's still a goalie who is capable of flashes of brilliance, and we've seen that at times this postseason.

This Sharks team has gotten some bounces and they've also been very good for stretches of this postseason, but they're losing the proverbial war of attrition here. You wonder if maybe their luck has finally run out. I believe the Sharks can come back, but only if Jones locks it down and San Jose's depth steps up in a major way. This team has thrived on emotion and have had their backs against the wall enough times this postseason that they will fight back. In the end, there is no rational reason to pick the Sharks, but how much of this postseason has been rational? I'll bite. Sharks in seven.

Dimitri Filipovic, hockey analytics writer: I'd love to play the role of devil's advocate here, because it's boring when we all agree about something. But after what we just witnessed over the weekend, it really feels like we can't in good conscience pretend that things are anything but bleak for the Sharks right now. It's not just that the Blues beat them by a decisive margin on the scoreboard, but it's the manner in which they did it that's awfully difficult to shake right now for anyone hoping that San Jose can turn this series around. Whereas St. Louis looked like a well-oiled machine that was firing on all cylinders, the Sharks were dropping like flies. That's ultimately why it's hard to talk yourself into picking them, because it's impossible to know what you're going to get from their best players.

At various points during Game 5, Hertl, Pavelski and Karlsson were all in the locker room tending to their ailments. Even if each of them do play in Game 6, it's fair to wonder what kind of shape they'll be in, and how much they'll have left in the tank to contribute. That's especially the case for Karlsson, who hasn't been able to properly finish back-to-back games now, and has looked like a shell of himself physically as he tries to fight through the injuries that have completely sapped him of his trademark mobility. Not only is he having trouble going back to retrieve pucks, but when he does get it, he's struggling with navigating the Blues' forecheck without that elusiveness.

For the Sharks to win this series, they need to beat St. Louis off the rush with their speed advantage, but without Karlsson being able to consistently transition the puck up the ice, they've been completely neutralized at 5-on-5. Health can often be the deciding factor this time of year, and the Blues certainly have the edge there at the moment. St. Louis wins this series.

Fans planning to attend the Women's World Cup in France are finding out that the seats they bought might not be together.

Tickets were made available to print Monday and ticket holders learned that their seats were sometimes split up in separate rows and even sections -- even families with young children were separated.

Seamus Campbell, who lives in Portland, Oregon, bought five tickets for the semifinals and finals in Lyon. Three seats are in a single row, but with a random individual seat breaking up the group, while another seat is two rows back and the last is in a row behind that.

Campbell also purchased three tickets for matches in Paris -- two are together and the other is separate.

"It's just astonishing that they didn't find a way to put blocks of tickets together. And I appreciate that there are a lot of tickets, and they're selling them all at once, but I just can't fathom how you would end up -- and I'm a software developer -- I don't know how you would build a system that said, 'We have three seats that are almost together but we're gonna put one single seat in between those three.'"

- Julie Ertz is the ass kicker for the U.S women's squad
- Key players, projected XI for the Australian women
- Hosts France to feature 7 players from powerhouse Lyon

The tournament starts June 7 and runs through July 7.

FIFA responded on the verified Women's World Cup Twitter account, posting: "Dear fans. We have noted some of your comments, re: your tickets. When you placed your order, a message indicating not all seats would be located next to each other did appear, before confirmation of your purchase. Unfortunately we will not be able to modify your order."

An additional post said: "However, an exception could be made for parents whose seats are not next to the seats of their underage children [18 years old and younger]." The post included the email address for the event's local organizing committee and a phone number for customer service.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press for comment.

It's customary for most sporting events to allow groups of ticket buyers to choose seats that are together. There was a limit on the number of World Cup tickets that could be purchased by a single buyer.

The situation could cause problems in the stadiums before games, when fans may try to swap seats to sit next to friends or family members. Separated families might become an issue if a security concern should arise.

Jessica Russell, who is from Utah, said she bought two tickets as a package for the semifinals and final in Lyon. She said she was disappointed to see the seats are separated.

"It would be nice to sit with who you bought the tickets with," she said. "We'll try to see if people will switch with people around us. But if not, we'll just deal with it."

There was a moment in England's final ODI against Pakistan, on a clear, bright spring afternoon in Yorkshire, that spoke to the sense of possibility and excitement that surrounds the team right now, a matter of days from the start of a home World Cup. When Jos Buttler stuck out a boot to block Sarfaraz Ahmed's back-foot glide, and then in the same movement swept up the rebound and ran out the Pakistan captain as he stood on the brink of a century, it suggested even Dame Fortune might have developed a soft spot for England.

It was a moment of great skill, with a nod to that wiliest of stumpers MS Dhoni, as well as being, according to Buttler, "really lucky" - but then which successful team didn't occasionally require the rub of the green? Australia may be the self-styled "lucky country", while downbeat fatalism is more of an English vibe, but then the England of Buttler and captain Eoin Morgan is not quite the same as those that have gone before.

"It's certainly the first time it has got someone out," Buttler said of his footwork at Headingley. "Obviously Dhoni was one of the first guys I saw doing that kind of thing - watching batsmen shape up to play certain shots, trying to use your leg to stop it. I was just really lucky that it dropped next to the stumps and he'd set off for a run."

That dismissal had been preceded by another run-out, in which Buttler's role was to throw to the non-striker's end, where Adil Rashid collected and swivelled to back-hand the ball unsighted on to the stumps. Far from showboating at the end of a series that England would win 4-0, this was just the sort of casual brilliance that occurs for a team when everything clicks - and a sign that their hopes of becoming the first from England to lift the World Cup will not be weighed down by doubt, expectation or a rather dismal history in the competition.

"I'm really excited by the buzz," Buttler said, speaking at the premiere of OPPO's TV advert to launch their global partnership with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. "There's pressure and expectation but I think that's to be embraced, we can use that as a positive for the team. We're playing in our own conditions, it allows us to get away from the tournament when the pressure gets ramped up, we can escape to friends and family as well. It's an amazing opportunity to be around at the right time and play in a home World Cup.

"It's a lot of fun [playing for England], that's one of the main things. The brand of cricket we're trying to play and the way we've been trying to really express ourselves and push the boundaries of what we're capable of, it breeds a lot of fun.

"The cricket we're playing on the field has been really exciting to watch, and we've obviously had some success. The dressing room is a brilliant dressing room to be part of, a close bunch of guys, there's a lot of fun, a lot of mickey-taking and it's just a great environment to be in. It's definitely the changing room I love being in the most, and I think that gets portrayed on the field."

While England appear to revel in their current status as world No. 1 and a side repeatedly pushing at the boundaries of the 50-over game, they do not get too hung up on success, either. Team spirit, as Steve Archibald once put it, may be an illusion for the winners' podium but there are tighter bonds in the England dressing room, where a generation of players have come of age together - Buttler became a father a month ago, while several of his team-mates, including Joe Root, Jason Roy and Chris Woakes, also have young children.

Like a highly specialised NCT group, this England squad, largely unchanged over the four years since the last World Cup, have been through a lot together. And while Buttler is a character who always seems to have been able to separate professional failure from personal fulfilment, the sight of him marking his audacious 50-ball hundred in the second ODI against Pakistan with a baby-rocking celebration for young Georgia Rose hinted at great freedom happily cohabiting with great responsibility; suggesting, perhaps, that England have brought balance to their undoubted force.

"It definitely puts things in perspective, which is always something I've really enjoyed about my cricket - trying to keep perspective on it, remember to enjoy it, it's not the be all and end all," Buttler said. "She certainly does that, it's great to come home after a good or bad day and realise it doesn't really matter that much.

"Another good thing about the side is there's quite a few of us in the same boat at the minute, being new fathers, so it's a topic of conversation around the dressing room … It's been great fun, part of the journey of the side. A lot of us have spent a lot of time together and played a lot of cricket together as youngsters and now quite a few have young families, so it's a nice feeling.

"I think the team has grown up together in the last few years, it's very genuine that the guys enjoy each other's success, enjoy each other's company. We really do see that in the cricket, it does transform those relationships in the dressing room and off the field, into the performances on it."

It will soon be time for England to be judged on those performances, and Buttler is confident that he and his team-mates can live up to the external hype and go on to lift that elusive trophy: "Yeah we can, we definitely can, but it's down to us go and do it." The World Cup is tantalisingly near but there is a week-long lacuna to fill with media obligations and squad announcements, warm-up fixtures and, probably, a few night-time nappy changes. Unsurprisingly, Buttler can't wait to get going.

"It's almost a feeling of you just want the tournament to start proper. We had four games against Pakistan, one washed out, two more warm-up games to come… We just want the first game to start. I think everyone's ready, there's been a lot of talk around the World Cup and the build-up. The date everyone's really looking to now is that one against South Africa."

Jos Buttler was speaking as Global Partner OPPO unveiled their ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 TV advert and launched the OPPO Reno Series. To view the new TV advert and to find out more info on the new Reno Series, visit https://twitter.com/oppo

Handling the "pressure is the most important thing" at the World Cup, stressed Virat Kohli ahead of the Indians' pre-departure press interaction.

India go to the World Cup in England and Wales in good cheer despite a 3-2 reversal at home against Australia in their last series - they have a well-rounded side and are ranked No. 2 in the ICC's ODI rankings. Though they are one of the few teams that has not reached the UK yet, the captain feels coping with the conditions wouldn't be too difficult.

"It's always good to go to any place in advance, it does get rid of all the nerves you have in the side going into the tournament like the World Cup," Kohli said prior to the team's departure on Tuesday. "White-ball cricket, playing in England, playing an ICC tournament, the conditions are not that different or that difficult I would say, compared to Test cricket. Pressure is the most important thing in the World Cup and not necessarily the conditions.

"Secondly, all the bowlers in the squad, even during the IPL they were bowling themselves to be in the zone for 50-over cricket. And we saw the guys bowling - no one looked tired or fatigued after bowling four overs. They were fresh. The ultimate goal is to be fit for the 50-over format and not let their fitness come down and that was communicated before the IPL."

"Everyone has to be at their best intensity from the first match onwards and we don't have any room for complacency" VIRAT KOHLI

Coach Ravi Shastri, meanwhile, called on the players to strive for consistency and play to potential, which, he said, should ensure that the World Cup comes to India for a third time.

"As far as this tournament is concerned, it's an opportunity. If you look at this team, what they have done over these five years, they have played brilliant cricket," he said. "It's about striving for that consistency and not playing any differently just because it's a World Cup.

"World Cup might be a stage but that stage is to be enjoyed. The most important thing is get out there and enjoy the World Cup and if you play to the potential the cup might be here."

India play two official warm-up games - against New Zealand on May 25 and against Bangladesh on May 28 - before their campaign in the main tournament begins with the game against South Africa on June 5. It's a tough start for the Indians, who then have fixtures lined up against Australia (June 9) and New Zealand (June 13) before the big one: India v Pakistan, on June 16.

"The good thing is that every game has a decent gap between each other. From that point of view, I don't think that the players will burn out even if we have intense games. We will always have time to regroup and go for the next," Kohli said. "So the best thing is that we'll have four tough games straight up and that will set the tone nicely for us.

"Everyone has to be at their best intensity from the first match onwards and we don't have any room for complacency. That's why it's the World Cup, that's why it's the most important tournament in the world. We expect that kind of a pressure from the first second. We're not even going to let ourselves think that maybe the first week onwards we'll get into it. You have to arrive on the day, match ready, absolutely 100% match intensity and start from there and start building from there.

"This is the challenge - if you look at all the top-class clubs in the world, like in football, they maintain their intensity for three-four months in the Premier League, or in the La Liga. So if we get on a roll and if we maintain consistency then we should be able to do it for the length of the tournament."

Hampshire officials are making strenuous efforts in the faint hope that England's gain will not be not their loss for the Royal London Cup final on Saturday following the selection of James Vince and Liam Dawson for England's World Cup squad.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the county is currently in discussions with the ECB and the ICC in an attempt to have the pair released for the match at Lord's despite the game taking place on the same day as England's warm-up match against Australia at the Ageas Bowl.

However, the chances of Hampshire receiving a favourable response as distinct from a sympathetic one do not look terribly good. The Royal London Cup final lies within the ICC's "support period" for the tournament, which begins on May 23.

"As it stands they are not available due to ICC regulations," England's national selector, Ed Smith, said. "But I also understand that Hampshire and the ECB are going to do whatever they can to make a case that they would be released if indeed they aren't required by England. But, as it stands, they are not available. It falls within the support period."

Both Vince and Dawson were additions to England's 15-man squad, having not made the preliminary cut in April. Vince came in as a direct replacement for Alex Hales, after the reserve opener failed a drugs test, while Dawson's Royal London Cup form helped him leapfrog Joe Denly for the reserve spinner spot.

Both players were integral to Hampshire, the cup holders, reaching a second successive Lord's final. Vince was their highest run-scorer, with 509 at 72.71, while Dawson claimed 18 wickets at 20.33 as well as averaging 45.66 with the bat.