Big-name ambassadors to inspire new generation of female players
By ELLIE MAWSON

The PSA (Professional Squash Association) are teaming up with with recently retired eight-time World Champion Nicol David to launch a new joint awareness campaign titled ‘It’s Mine’ – created to help foster a greater sense of belonging and ownership among squash players and the PSA World Tour.

Malaysian icon David, one of the greatest players to ever pick up a squash racket, is a key driving force behind the campaign, with the former World No.1 wanting to leave behind a legacy following her retirement from the sport earlier last month at the Allam British Open.

To begin with, the campaign is designed to increase awareness of, and engagement with, the women’s tour, increase the participation of female athletes on the PSA Tour and create a more sustainable women’s tour.

The campaign will initially feature seven different ambassadors – Egyptian trio Raneem El Welily (world No.1), Nour El Sherbini (three-time world champion), Nour El Tayeb, France’s Camille Serme, England’s Sarah-Jane Perry, United States’ Amanda Sobhy and British national champion Tesni Evans from Wales.

These ambassadors have each selected a different value which they feel belongs to them and epitomises the qualities found among their peers on the PSA World Tour.

These values will be unveiled in a multimedia campaign consisting of videos, graphics and candid interviews, while players across the PSA Tour will be encouraged to engage with the campaign and showcase their own values.

In addition, the ambassadors will travel to tournaments on the PSA World Tour and PSA Challenger Tour to meet and inspire up-and-coming players.

Squash fans can get involved in the campaign by taking part in contests and posting on social media about the values that define them using the #ItsMine hashtag.

The campaign will appear across the PSA’s digital channels throughout the year leading up to the PSA Women’s World Championships, which will be held in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt in October.

“Since accepting that I was going to retire, I didn’t want to leave without giving something back to the sport that has given me so much,” said David.

“I know that our players have the power to inspire people with the experiences they have to share. I believe we are defined by titles but we are remembered by our values and the example we set out to be. This campaign is built to elevate the values that our players have and I hope to encourage them to be an example to others.

“Our sport has so much to offer and these seven diverse and empowered women will showcase the values that embodies our campaign. I hope this inspires every one of you in the upcoming months and that you share with us this journey!”

PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough said: “As a sport, we have made huge strides forward in the past decade by uniting the men’s and women’s professional tours and we now want to encourage all players to have a greater sense of ownership and belonging on the PSA Tour.

“When Nicol approached us about launching a joint campaign, we were delighted to get involved and wholeheartedly believe that the ‘It’s Mine’ campaign will allow our players to engage with the sport more than ever before.

“The ‘It’s Mine’ campaign will enable some of our female athletes to share their inspiring stories in their own words and explain what they believe defines them. We look forward to working with Nicol over the coming months and encourage all of our players and fans to get behind the campaign.”

The PSA will expand on the campaign with a men’s initiative set to be launched at a later date.

Article by ELLIE MAWSON (PSA Media Team). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA 

JOLIET, Ill. – Robert Hight rocketed to the No. 1 qualifying position in Funny Car on Saturday at the 22nd annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the ninth of 24 events during the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

After a lengthy weather delay, Funny Car points leader Hight powered to the top spot for the sixth time this year and 66th time in his career with a run of 3.880 seconds at 334.24 mph during the final qualifying session in his Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS.

Hight was 14th in qualifying before the impressive run during the fourth session. The two-time world champion has two victories from the No. 1 spot this season.

“The conditions were there tonight, and we gave it the power and it stuck,” Hight said. “It was a great run and I’m loving the conditions we’re going to have (Sunday). It’s awesome to come to Chicago and see a field like this. There are a lot of good cars here. Some didn’t make it, but for a while there we were wondering if it was going to be us. When you’re 14th going into the last session, it’s a little nerve-wracking.”

Tommy Johnson Jr. moved to second during the final qualifying session with his 3.882-second run at 326.24 mph, while Friday’s provisional No. 1 Ron Capps, who is seeking this third consecutive victory, finished third.

Top Fuel’s Salinas picked up his third No. 1 qualifier this season and fourth in his career after his run of 3.693 seconds at 328.30 mph from Friday in his Scrappers Racing dragster. In a strong field of 21 dragsters, Salinas was the only driver to reach the 3.60s.

“We do have a good program,” Salinas said. “I’m doing the same thing I was doing last year. The only difference is the people who are behind me now. They’re making this possible and I’m trying to do what they need me to do. The level we’re at now, it’s a different level than I’ve ever been. It’s pretty intense and it’s pretty amazing.”

Antron Brown qualified second after going 3.715 seconds at 328.14 mph, while defending world champ and points leader Steve Torrence, who is after his fourth straight win this season, took the third spot.

In Pro Stock, Greg Anderson took over sole possession of third place in career No. 1 qualifiers in NHRA history with his 103rd after a run of 6.571 seconds at 210.54 mph in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson, who was previously tied with Bob Glidden for career No. 1 qualifiers, earned his first top spot of the year Saturday, slipping past teammate Jason Line during the final qualifying session.

“That’s a huge number, no question about it,” Anderson said of his 103rd No. 1 qualifier. “Anytime you can go by one of Bob Glidden’s records, you better be proud of that. That’s pretty darn cool. This racetrack, I’ve always loved coming here. It’s a great Pro Stock track because every bit of power you can find you can apply to it. Tonight’s session was just a perfect running car. That’s great and now onto business (Sunday).”

Line finished second with a 6.575-second pass at 209.39 mph, while Matt Hartford took third.

Krawiec took his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and 45th in his career in Pro Stock Motorcycle thanks to his 6.801-second pass at 198.79 mph from Friday on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. Krawiec will be racing for his first victory of the year after watching teammate Andrew Hines win four of the first five events of the year.

“I’ve got a great crew that’s behind me,” Krawiec said. “It’s just fun to come out here and have a great bike going into raceday. I’m just looking at making good, cleans laps because that’s what it’s going to take to win.”

Defending world champion Matt Smith qualified second with a 6.819-second run at 200.00 mph and Hines sits third.

ELDON, Mo. – What started out as a beautiful Saturday night at Lake Ozark Speedway ended prematurely as heavy thunderstorms rolled in just prior to the beginning of the 40-lap Lucas Oil MLRA Show Down at The Lake.

Race officials halted the evenings action until the rain had passed and re-evaluated track conditions but determined at that point that it would not be possible to get the racing surface back into a shape.

Series officials made the decision to call the event complete with no make-up scheduled. Drivers will receive their heat race points earned from qualifying action along with standard MLRA show-up points, however no feature points will be awarded.

Full payout was issued based on the drivers starting position, with Will Vaught collecting the $3,000 top prize.

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The World Cup is only four games into its first weekend (it will be five after Sunday) but 300 has been crossed only once, and in the other seven innings, the highest total so far has been 209. In his post-match conference in Cardiff, Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne's assessment was far from positive, saying "everyone is here to watch some entertainment, see a good match, a good, high-scoring match."

The World Cup 2019 venue curators may be going into frantic "course correction" in the hunt for a high-scoring close finish to give the event a spark, but the one team that is not surprised at how things have panned out is New Zealand.

For captain Kane Williamson, the cards of the competition were laid out well before his team's opening fixture, in the warm-up games. Before the match against Sri Lanka, Williamson had said, "We do know here, on some grounds that are smaller, have flat surfaces, that perhaps there will be some much higher scoring. We saw that in Bristol and also saw it at The Oval. It was quite a different situation. In some ways, we know that not every game is gonna be a 350 score, and we saw that in two warm-up games we played. One was; one wasn't."

He underlined the four venues so far in an early English summer had established one fact: the totals and matches at the World Cup will not be the run-fests being expected and, therefore, "there won't be one way to play." Williamson said, "I think there has been a lot of talk about really high scores, but I think there will be a number of games where that isn't the case and it will require adjustment… So there won't be one way to play but, I guess, it's just being smart with how we look to operate. For us as a team, that's important."

By the end of Sunday, nine teams, barring India, will be a game into the competition, and setting out a pattern may be too early in the World Cup. Williamson, however, underscored that it is important for teams to be "aware". He was asked whether New Zealand would, like South Africa did against England, open with a spinner - a move trademarked by New Zealand themselves in the 1992 World Cup.

"You've got your five or six bowlers and they're all options," Williamson said in response. "I think it's just important to address the surface, the opposition, and try and come up with the best plan... Naturally when you go through the tournament, you play one country and you might have two or three days, play another country on another surface, and you're trying to, I guess, stay up-to-date with the different plans that you're adjusting with the different opposition."

For his team, and it would apply to every other side in the competition regardless of skill levels or betting odds, adjusting to oppositions and conditions would be key as it could offer tactical solutions. "Whether it's guys having to push a bit harder on a particular surface on a given day, then that may be what's required," Williamson said. "Equally, it may not be the case, and it's about guys adjusting to perhaps what one-day cricket used to look a little bit more like where the scores are a little bit lower and much more scrappy-type mentality."

In the first half of the summer, ODI cricket does not seem to be so different from Test-match cricket in England, then?

ST. LOUIS -- Rookie goalie Jordan Binnington blamed himself after getting pulled for the first time in his NHL career as his St. Louis Blues were routed by the Boston Bruins 7-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night.

"I gotta be better. I gotta do a better job giving my team a chance to win. They scored three goals in the first. That's never good," said Binnington, who gave up five goals on 19 shots before being replaced by Jake Allen at 6:29 of the second period, with the Blues down 5-1. "It is what it is, right? It's a loss. I'm not happy with that."

Binnington's teammates and coach were quick to defend him, saying it was a disastrous performance in front of the goalie that necessitated his departure.

"I don't think we played well enough in front of him," center Ryan O'Reilly said. "He made some huge saves early that gave us a chance. We just didn't play our usual selves the way we defended, and that's hard on any goalie. There's not much you can do when you give them that many PPs (power plays) and that many opportunities. It's not him; it's the guys in front of him. We have to do a better job."

The Bruins took a 3-0 lead in the first period on a power-play goal from Patrice Bergeron at 10:47, a wrist shot from Charlie Coyle at 17:40 and a goal from Sean Kuraly with 9.1 seconds left.

Binnington was chased at the 12:12 mark of the second period after Torey Krug scored the Bruins' third power-play goal of the game. He was replaced by Allen, the Blues' former starter, who last appeared in a game April 3.

Game 3 continued two systemic problems for the Blues, who trail in the series 2-1. Most concerning is their inability to stay out of the penalty box; the Bruins have had 14 power plays in the first three games.

"It's the major issue," O'Reilly said. "Keeping the 5-on-5 game and being more disciplined. It's tough to say [what's happened]. Maybe fatigue's kicking in. That can be an issue. But we all know we have to be better and not get sucked into stuff, and support each other better."

The Bruins were only 2-for-10 on power plays entering Game 3, but they found their groove Saturday, going 4-for-4 and needing just 2:06 for those tallies. Statistically, the Bruins' power play is the best in the playoffs since the New York Islanders in 1981. Boston showed it in Game 3.

"We know they have a dangerous power play, and we've been flirting with danger here the whole series and it burnt us tonight," Blues coach Craig Berube said.

The coaching staff helped light the fire. The Blues challenged Kuraly's goal with 9.1 seconds left in the first period, believing there was an offside. But since Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson played the puck into his own zone, the goal stood and St. Louis was given a delay-of-game penalty. On the ensuing power play, David Pastrnak scored just 41 seconds into the second period for the 4-0 lead.

Berube believed there was a "50-50" chance officials would overturn the call. O'Reilly defended the missed challenge.

"Obviously, them having a 3-0 lead, we want to wipe that period away and then you come out and you're killing. It's tough," he said. "I think they've got to make that challenge. It was close. It's unfortunate it puts them on the PP and then they get one again right off the bat. It took the wind right out and any chance of that early push that we needed at the start of the second."

Then there's Binnington.

He has given up five goals in the first period over the past two games. Binnington's .737 save percentage in Game 3 was his worst in any appearance in his NHL career, regular season or postseason. He's typically a model of cool during games, to the point where he sometimes doesn't even celebrate victories. But in Game 3, he bumped Boston goalie Tuukka Rask as the two skated to the benches during a TV timeout in the second period, and later admitted frustration.

"It was a 4-0 game. I wasn't happy. It's how I reacted. It's a long series, right?" he said. "It's something I did, and we're moving on."

Moving on is something Binnington and the Blues have done effectively during the playoffs, to the point where it's become the Calder Trophy finalist's calling card. Binnington is 6-2 with a 1.84 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage following a loss in these playoffs. Only five goalies in NHL history have posted more wins after defeats within a single postseason.

"My confidence level's really high [in Binnington]," Berube said. "Five goals he allowed, so he had seen enough. So we just wanted to pull him and get him ready for the next game."

Binnington said he'll be ready come Monday for Game 4.

"Your approach is the same," he said. "It's the Stanley Cup Final. Lots to play for. You prepare the same way. Believe in your teammates. And believe in yourself. Gotta do your job."

NEW YORK -- It may not go down as an upset the magnitude of Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson for the heavyweight world title, or even Hasim Rahman drilling Lennox Lewis to do the same, but Andy Ruiz Jr. knocked out Anthony Joshua in the seventh round to take his three heavyweight belts in an absolute shocker on Saturday night.

Sold-out Madison Square Garden was packed with 20,201, including many of Joshua's British countrymen who had made the trip across the pond expecting to see him smoke Ruiz, who closed as an 11-1 underdog, according to Caesars. But it became Joshua's waterloo and crushed the chance of an undisputed championship fight between Joshua and Deontay Wilder that so many have wanted for so long.

"I just feel so good, man. This is what I have been dreaming about," Ruiz said. "This is what I have been working hard for. I can't believe I just made my dreams come true. I just want to thank my team and my family. The sky is the limit, baby."

Ruiz survived a knockdown in the third round and rallied to drop Joshua twice later in the round and then twice more in the seventh before stopping Joshua in a shocking scene.

Ruiz became the first fighter of Mexican descent to win a heavyweight world title and did so in the most dramatic fashion.

"That was my first time getting dropped on the floor. It just made me stronger," Ruiz said. "It just made me want it more. I just had to knock him down back. [I took his power] because of the Mexican warrior I am. I have that Mexican blood in me. Talking about the Mexican fighting style, I just proved it."

A Mexican fighter had tried but failed to win a heavyweight title seven times before. That list included Ruiz, who lost an extremely close majority decision to Joseph Parker when they met for a vacant title on Parker's home turf in New Zealand in December 2016. Chris Arreola lost three tries, Eric Molina two and Manuel Ramos one. But now the flabby 6-foot-2, 268-pound Ruiz, who looks anything like a fighter and eats a Snickers bar before every fight, has a claim on boxing's biggest prize after he dethroned its biggest star this side of Canelo Alvarez.

"This is for all of Mexico. Mexico has its first heavyweight champion of the world, and we made history," Manny Robles, Ruiz's trainer, said.

The chiseled 6-6, 247-pound Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs), 29, was making his seventh title defense and his much-anticipated United States debut after regularly selling out stadiums in the United Kingdom. He came to these shores hoping to build his brand in America and because streaming service DAZN put up tens of millions of dollars to lure him here.

He was classy in defeat.

"Heavyweight boxing, baby. Thank you to the people who came out this evening. That's No. 1," Joshua said. "Heavyweight boxing is on fire. I just have to turn it around a few notches and bring it back my way. I don't want people to drown in their sorrows. This will show I have the power and the strength. It just wasn't my night. But listen, it is good for the TV. Good for DAZN and the people watching."

Joshua wasn't even supposed to face Ruiz (33-1, 22 KOs), 29, of Imperial, California. He was scheduled to fight undefeated New Yorker Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller, but Miller was bounced from the fight about a month ago after failing four Voluntary Anti-Doping Association-administered random drug tests for three different banned substances -- GW1516, human growth hormone and EPO -- and being denied a boxing license by the New York State Athletic Commission.

After heavy hitter Luis "King Kong" Ortiz turned down the fight -- he will instead get a rematch this fall with Wilder -- Ruiz was the best available opponent who was willing, and anxious, to fight Joshua. So he took the fight fresh off a strong performance in a fifth-round knockout of Alexander Dimitrenko on April 20 and kept the momentum going.

Wilder shared his thoughts on Joshua's loss via social media.

He wasn't a true champion. His whole career was consisted of lies, contradictions and gifts.
Facts and now we know who was running from who!!!!#TilThisDay

— Deontay Wilder (@BronzeBomber) June 2, 2019

Ruiz-Joshua began as a feeling-out process with almost nothing happening in the opening round other than Joshua landing a few jabs. A hard jab rocked Ruiz's head back at the start of the second round and Joshua continued to jam his jab at the much shorter Ruiz, who could not get past it.

But the fight changed dramatically in the third round, a clear candidate for round of the year. Joshua looked like he was going to end the fight when he blasted Ruiz with an uppercut and a left hook that dropped him hard. But Ruiz made it to his feet and went after Joshua and knocked him down twice in a wild round.

Ruiz nailed him with a right hand on top of the head, and Joshua's legs betrayed him before he went down. He got to his feet, but his legs were gone and he was wobbling all over the place as Ruiz went after him. He dropped Joshua for the second time under a hail of punches, and Joshua looked like he might not be able to recover.

"As soon as Andy dropped him, he really slowed down," Robles said.

But by the start of the fourth round, Joshua seemed OK as he lashed Ruiz with a left hook that buckled him.

Ruiz landed a left hand early in the sixth round that buzzed Joshua, who backed up and looked to stay away. He flicked his jab hoping to keep Ruiz at bay, but Ruiz worked his way inside and fired a combination. And then another. And another.

"I could [sense he was hurt] but I just didn't want to throw away what I had. I just wanted to hunt him down even more and work the body," Ruiz said. "I just wanted to listen to the game plan."

In the seventh round, they were both in attack mode when Ruiz hurt Joshua and unloaded a dozen unanswered punches that finally dropped an exhausted Joshua.

He managed to beat the count, but Ruiz floored him again, sending him to one knee. He had his head down as he listened to referee Michael Griffin's count and barely beat it. He walked to the corner, where Griffin said something to him, but Joshua put his arms on the ropes with his back leaning on the corner post and Griffin waved off the fight at 1 minute, 27 seconds, leaving the crowd in shock.

"I want to fight. I don't do his job," Joshua said of Griffin. "I am never one of those fighters to disrespect a referee like he should have done this or he should have done that. He called it off when he thought I couldn't fight. It's a shame. But I don't want anyone to drown in their sorrows. It's the long game, not the short game."

Robles disagreed.

"He didn't want to continue," he said. "We had a great game plan -- to stay low, not fight tall and work behind the jab. Hit the chest, the body. I told him to either fight inside or stay outside. I did not want him to fight at midrange and put himself in front of the big punches."

Ruiz jumped up and down and celebrated wildly in the ring with Robles and the rest of their team after having authored one of the biggest upsets in recent boxing history.

According to CompuBox, Ruiz landed 56 of 206 punches (27 percent) and Joshua connected with 47 of 176 (27 percent).

At the time of the stoppage, Ruiz led 57-56 on two scorecards and Joshua was up 57-56 on the third card.

Joshua has the contractual right to a rematch and said he wants it.

"One-hundred percent. One-hundred percent," he said.

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, said the rematch would be held in the U.K.

"AJ got sloppy. It was a beautiful combination in the third round," Hearn said. "He was in total control of the fight, but he got sloppy and never recovered. Listen, tonight was [Ruiz's] night, but AJ will come back 100 percent and we will make the rematch in the U.K. in November or December.

"But this night now belongs to Andy Ruiz. He made history in the heavyweight division. It will go down in history as a very big one. AJ has the heart of a lion and will come back stronger. Now at least we know the opponent for the end of the year in the U.K. Absolutely we will enact the immediate rematch. He will be devastated when it sinks in. It makes the fall fight a must win."

Ruiz said he is game for a second go with Joshua as much as he campaigned for the shot on Saturday after Miller fell out. But Ruiz had another plan before any of those rematch details are dealt with.

"Right now, I just want to celebrate," Ruiz said. "I just made history for Mexico. This is what I have been dreaming about since I was 6 years old."

And sometimes dreams do come true.