LOS ANGELES -- A couple of weeks back, perhaps as a way to ease whatever concerns were beginning to creep in, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman informed his third baseman, Justin Turner, that he had only three career home runs through the first month of a baseball season, a stretch that by April's end had spanned 429 at-bats.

Turner smiled at that memory late Tuesday night, after blasting three home runs in the Dodgers' 9-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

"Not sure what that's about," he said, "but definitely glad that month's over."

Turner, who didn't hit his first home run of the 2019 season until the final day of April, recorded the first three-homer game of his career and the team's first since Yasiel Puig last September, lifting the Dodgers on a night when Hyun-Jin Ryu required only 93 pitches to twirl a shutout.

Turner turned on a chest-high, 94 mph fastball from Max Fried and hit it out to left-center field in the first, then crushed a down-the-middle, 88 mph fastball from Josh Tomlin and lifted it to straightaway center in the fifth. He came up one last time, with two on and two out in the bottom of the eighth, and hit another 88 mph fastball out to left-center, the three home runs totaling 1,209 feet and averaging 102 mph off the bat.

"He's been one of the best hitters in the National League for four or five years," Dodgers right fielder Cody Bellinger said of Turner, who added a run-scoring single to give him a career-high six RBIs Tuesday night. "It was nice to see him barrel some balls up."

Turner carried a .364 on-base percentage through April 25, but his batting average was only .250 and his slugging percentage was only .284. He was displaying sound pitch selection but was missing opportunities to do damage.

So Turner began toying with his leg kick and the way his shoulders were positioned when his front foot hit the ground.

"Just trying to find something that clicks, and I think I've found something right now," he said.

Over his past 10 games, Turner has 17 hits in 41 at-bats, six of them for extra bases. His OPS has jumped from .649 to .825, which falls in line with the usual timing of his production. The 34-year-old tends to heat up as the calendar flips, his career OPS going from .730 in April to .774 in May to .892 in June.

His manager, Dave Roberts, is well aware.

"I wish we had an answer," Roberts said when asked for an explanation. "We would turn it a little bit sooner."

Philadelphia Phillies chairman David Montgomery is dead at age 72 from cancer, the team announced Wednesday.

Montgomery had surgery in 2014 for jawbone cancer.

Montgomery began his career with the team in 1971, working in the ticket office and helping to run the scoreboard.

"David was truly a great man," Phillies chairman emeritus Bill Giles said in a statement. "David was a big reason why the Phillies won 12 division championships, five National League championships and two World Series championships in that time. He was a fierce competitor in everything he did, including his battle to fight his illness. He will be tremendously missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him."

He was promoted to president and general partner in 1997 and, after returning from his surgery in 2015, was named chairman.

Montgomery played a leading role in the team's transition from Veterans Stadium to Citizens Bank Park in 2004.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A light malfunction almost stopped Mike Fiers' night from getting started. A high pitch count nearly prevented him from finishing it.

It's a good thing Fiers was allowed to take the mound and stay there all game, because he made history doing it.

Fiers overcame the early delay and managed the high workload to pitch the second no-hitter of his career, getting help with two spectacular defensive plays from his Oakland Athletics teammates to shut down the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 Tuesday night.

"Amazing. That's really all I can really say," Fiers said. "Things like this just happen."

This one almost didn't.

A bank of lights in left field was only partially lit before the scheduled start of the game, leading to a delay of more than 90 minutes before the teams and umpires determined there was enough light to play a full game.

Then after getting through seven innings with 109 pitches, Fiers was told by manager Bob Melvin that one more baserunner would end his night even if he still hadn't allowed a hit. He then breezed through the final two innings, following up his 2015 gem for the Houston Astros against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 131-pitch masterpiece to become the 35th pitcher with multiple no-hitters in his career.

"I'm just really thankful for him leaving me in and trusting me," Fiers said. "I told him I felt great. I felt like everything was working. It wasn't a matter of being tired. I had adrenaline at that point."

He walked two, struck out six and ended it by fanning Eugenio Suarez with a big curveball.

The A's poured out of the dugout to mob Fiers in celebration after the final out in front of a few thousand fans remaining after the lengthy delay. Fiers tipped his hat to the crowd and raised his arms in triumph as he walked off.

"It was a great night obviously for him, for our fans, everyone wants to see a no-hitter," Melvin said. "It was no fun for me once he got past 120 pitches, I promise you that. But he deserved it."

The 33-year-old Fiers (3-3) raised his lifetime record to 57-58. The right-hander began the night with a 6.81 ERA this season and has been a journeyman for much of his career.

A journeyman with a special place in the record book, that is.

"It's pretty cool," Fiers said. "I saw a little bit of the list. I'm just grateful to be here and get the opportunity to play. I remember when I was getting drafted I wasn't too high on the charts. I was a guy throwing 88 to 90 [mph] down in South Florida. I'm one in a million down there. ... I'm just blessed to be here."

The first no-hitter of the 2019 season didn't come without tense moments as Fiers was bailed out by back-to-back great defensive plays in the sixth inning. Second baseman Jurickson Profar ran a long way to make a diving catch on Kyle Farmer's popup into short right field for the second out, prompting Fiers to throw up his arms in celebration.

Joey Votto followed that with a deep drive, but flashy center fielder Ramon Laureano reached above the fence to pull the ball back and rob the Reds' star of a home run.

"Ramon's catch, he's done that once or twice. That's a normal play for him," Fiers said. "Profar, another amazing play."

This was the 13th no-hitter in the history of the Athletics franchise, which started in Philadelphia, moved to Kansas City and shifted to Oakland. Sean Manaea pitched the previous no-hitter for the A's on April 21, 2018, at home against Boston.

Manaea, fittingly, gave Fiers an ice bath on the field when this one ended.

"It was way more nerve-wracking then I was doing it," Manaea said. "I was shaking on the bench. I don't know, it was crazy seeing him do it. It was awesome."

With Fiers' no-hitter, five pitchers currently on MLB rosters have multiple no-hitters: Justin Verlander, Jake Arrieta, Max Scherzer, Homer Bailey and Fiers.

Fiers is the eighth pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter with multiple teams, joining Nolan Ryan (3 teams), Cy Young (2), Randy Johnson (2), Adonis Terry (2), Jim Bunning (2), Ted Breitenstein (2) and Hideo Nomo (2).

"I knew," Fiers said of having a no-hitter during the game. "I don't like when guys are, like, they don't know."

The no-hitter came almost exactly a year after the previous one in the majors, by James Paxton for Seattle at Toronto last May 8.

Fiers issued his only two walks in the seventh, but also got Jesse Winker to hit into a double play. Fiers needed only nine pitches to get through the eighth and zipped through the ninth, retiring rookie Josh VanMeter on a popup, getting Votto on a routine grounder and striking out Suarez.

A's catcher Josh Phegley neatly blocked the last pitch and tagged Suarez to make it official.

"I felt like he was hitting with all his pitches where he wanted it and when he wanted it," Phegley said.

Fiers' other no-hitter came on Aug. 21, 2015, in Houston, three weeks after being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Astros. He threw a career-high 134 pitches in that game.

The only other Reds batter to reach was Winker, who got aboard on an error by Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman in the fourth. Chapman was near second base on a defensive shift and the grounder hit off his glove and landed in the outfield.

The game started after a 98-minute delay because of a lighting problem at the Coliseum. A bank of lights above the upper deck in left field had been only partially lit, causing the delay. Those lights began to flicker on as the game started.

Fiers, however, turned them out on the Reds.

"It was impressive to watch but tough to watch for us," Reds manager David Bell said. "It's one game but you have to give him a lot of credit. You don't see this very often, especially anymore. To do it against our lineup is very impressive."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

After pitching the second no-hitter of his career and the 300th no-hitter in major league history, Mike Fiers delivered the understatement of the night: "I'm just glad they got those lights working."

The start of the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, California, was delayed 98 minutes because of a lighting malfunction. Three panels of lights -- about 100 bulbs -- above the left-field stands weren't working, but the teams eventually agreed to go ahead and start the game. As Fiers pitched to Joey Votto leading off the game, the bulbs began turning on.

Then Fiers turned it on. He was saved with two superb catches in the sixth inning when Jurickson Profar ranged into shallow right field to make a diving catch on Kyle Farmer's blooper, and then Ramon Laureano made the play of the game when he robbed Votto of a home run with a leaping grab in left-center:

We are pleased to inform you: RAMÓN DID IT AGAIN!#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/IiDfflSrqB

— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 8, 2019

In the ninth inning, sitting on a total of 118 pitches already thrown entering the inning and holding a slim 2-0 lead after Profar's home run in the eighth, Fiers induced rookie pinch hitter Josh VanMeter to pop out to third base on a 0-1 changeup. Votto grounded out to first base on a 3-2 changeup, perfectly executed low and away (a great pitch following a 3-1 changeup that was up and away). Eugenio Suarez took an 88 mph fastball for strike one, fouled off another fastball, took two four-seamers up out of the zone for balls and then swing and missed at a curveball in the dirt:

HE DID IT!!!! pic.twitter.com/nI5XriThKX

— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 8, 2019

Fiers joins Max Scherzer, Jake Arrieta, Justin Verlander and Homer Bailey as active pitchers with two no-hitters, but this one is remarkable in another regard: It was arguably the most unexpected no-hitter of all the no-hitters.

Fiers entered the game with a 6.81 ERA in eight starts. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, that's the highest ERA for any player throwing a no-hitter with at least 25 innings entering the start. The previous high: José Jiménez had a 6.69 ERA when he threw his no-no for the Cardinals in 1999 (he would finish the season with a 5.85 ERA). That list:

Fiers, 2019: 6.81
Jiménez, 1999: 6.69
Dwight Gooden, 1996: 5.67
Ken Holtzman, 1971: 5.33
Jonathan Sanchez, 2009: 5.30

Take away the 25-inning qualifier and you get a few others, including Francisco Liriano's no-hitter in 2011. He had made five starts that season with a 9.13 when he threw his no-hitter on May 3.

Fiers' no-hitter is unusual in another regard, at least for this era of baseball: He threw 131 pitches, the most in a no-hitter since Fiers himself in 2015 when he no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers while pitching for the Houston Astros. These days, when 120 pitches is a rarity, Fiers' outing was just the fifth since 2015 with 130 pitches:

Fiers, 8/21/15: 134 pitches (no-hitter)
Clayton Kershaw, 9/2/15: 132 pitches (15 strikeouts)
Matt Moore, 8/25/16: 133 pitches (lost no-hitter with two outs in ninth)
Sean Newcomb, 7/29/18: 134 pitches (lost no-hitter with two outs in ninth)
Fiers, 5/7/19: 131 pitches (no-hitter)

Because of the limited pitch counts these days, there has been speculation that the individual no-hitter is all but dead. For example, since 2016 there have been six pitchers pulled while throwing at least seven no-hit innings. Managers simply won't let a pitcher go much beyond 130 pitches, even in pursuit of a no-hitter. The no-no isn't quite dead yet though. Sean Manaea and James Paxton achieved the feat last season, although both were very efficient (108 and 99 pitches). That's the more likely scenario in 2019.

Adding to the unusual nature of this no-hitter is this list of the pitchers with at least two no-hitters and the worst career ERA:

Bailey: 4.58
Hideo Nomo: 4.24
Fiers: 4.11
Bill Stoneman: 4.07

So congrats to Fiers for having two days when everything went his way. The Reds certainly weren't picking up his high fastball for whatever reason (besides bad lighting) as the right-handed batters in particular were late on a lot of fastballs. Or maybe the Reds were still disoriented from the swarming bees in Cincinnati on Monday.

When you think of the great pitchers who never threw a no-hitter -- guys such as Pedro Martinez (although he once took a perfect game into the 10th inning), Roger Clemens, John Smoltz, Steve Carlton, Don Drysdale, Whitey Ford, Madison Bumgarner, just to name a few -- Fiers' achievement feels even more amazing.

That's baseball. On any given night, anything can happen. Even a no-hitter.

New rules are now in force following Court of Arbitration for Sport decision on landmark Caster Semenya case

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has published a question-and-answer on its new female eligibility regulations, which come into effect today (May 8).

The new rules relate to restricting testosterone levels in female runners in certain events on the world stage.

The implementation of the new rules comes after two-time Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya lost her landmark case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where she and Athletics South Africa had sought to overturn the world governing body’s new regulations.

The IAAF has since published further details about the new rules on its website, including a question-and-answer series on the ‘eligibility regulations for the female classification [athletes with differences of sex development (DSD)]’.

The new regulations can be downloaded here.

Here is the IAAF Q&A in full:

1. Which athletes fall under the DSD regulations?

“The DSD regulations only apply to individuals who are:
legally female (or intersex) and who have one of a certain number of specified DSDs, which mean that they have:
male chromosomes (XY) not female chromosomes (XX)
testes not ovaries
circulating testosterone in the male range (7.7 to 29.4 nmol/L) not the (much lower) female range (0.06 to 1.68 nmol/L); and
the ability to make use of that testosterone circulating within their bodies (i.e., they are ‘androgen-sensitive’).”

2. What do such athletes have to do to be eligible to compete in the female classification?

“If they are competing below international level, they do not have to do anything. They can compete without restriction.

“If they are competing at international level, in one of the affected events (track races between 400m and one mile in distance), they first have to lower the level of testosterone in their blood down to below 5 nmol/L (because that is the highest level that a healthy woman with ovaries would have) for a period of six months, and maintain it below that level while they continue to compete at international level in such events.

“If they want to compete at international level in other events, again they can compete without restriction, i.e., without lowering their testosterone levels.

“To lower their testosterone levels in this way, affected athletes can either (a) take a daily oral contraceptive pill; or (b) take a monthly injection of a GnrH agonist; or (c) have their testes surgically removed (a ‘gonadectomy’). It is their choice whether or not to have any treatment, and (if so) which treatment to have. In particular, the IAAF does not insist on surgery. The effects of the other two treatments are reversible if and when the athlete decides to stop treatment.

“Importantly, lowering testosterone in one of these ways is the recognised ‘gender-affirming’ standard of care for any individual (athlete or not) who is 46 XY but has a female gender identity.”

3. Why do the regulations only cover events between 400m to the mile?

“Based on the science, the IAAF considers that 46 XY DSD athletes would have an advantage in all events based on their levels of testosterone in the male range. However, the evidence to date indicates that track events run over distances between 400m to one mile are where the most performance-enhancing benefits can be obtained from elevated levels of circulating testosterone, i.e., both from the extra strength and power derived from the increases in muscle mass and strength, and from the extra oxygen transfer and uptake derived from the increased haemoglobin in the blood.

“Therefore, taking a conservative approach, to allow DSD athletes to compete in the gender with which they identify as far as possible without restriction, the new Regulations only apply to track events between 400m and one mile (and only to international competitions). However, the revised Regulations expressly confirm that the IAAF Health & Science Department will keep this under review.  If future evidence or new scientific knowledge indicates that there is good justification to expand or narrow the number of events affected by the Regulations, it will propose such revisions to the IAAF Council.”

4. Will you remove the 1500m and mile from your regulations, as suggested by CAS?

“No. The CAS asked us to consider whether to defer application of the restrictions to these two distances pending further experience. However, we believe there is enough evidence from the field across all the disciplines covered by our regulations, so the 1500m and the mile will remain included in the regulations.  We may have more data in relation to the 400m and 800m, but there is evidence relating to the longer distances, and it is also generally accepted that an elite 800m runner will also excel over 1500m and one mile. We will keep this and all other aspects of the regulations under careful review as we move forward.”

5. How will you administer the Regulations?

“The Regulations contain detailed requirements for confidential assessment of any new cases that arise. As found in the Chand case, the IAAF’s regulations are administered with ‘care and compassion’, and that will remain the case moving forward.

“The most immediate requirement is that all 46 XY DSD athletes who would like to compete at the World Championships in Doha in September in the restricted events need to provide the IAAF medical team with their serum testosterone level (from analysis of a blood sample using a mass spectrometry-based method as described in the Regulations) by 8 May. The testosterone concentration obtained from this blood sample must be below 5 nmol/L and remain under this value as long as the athlete is seeking eligibility to compete in the female classification in a Restricted Event at International Competition.  We will treat each athlete individually with a combination of testing their medical team does and testing our medical team undertakes, including random testing.

“Usually, under the Regulations, a DSD athlete must suppress her testosterone below 5 nmol/L for a continuous six month period before competing in the female classification in a Restricted Event at an International Competition.  As a special transitional provision to ensure the delay caused by the legal challenge to the Regulations does not prejudice 46 XY DSD athletes, the IAAF will accept that DSD athletes who comply with the 5 nmol/L limit starting on or before 8 May 2019 will be eligible for the IAAF World Championships Doha 2019, assuming they meet the other required Eligibility Conditions.”

6. What is your response to the claims about the harmful side effects of taking the medication you recommend?

“CAS accepted the evidence of experienced medical experts that a 46 XY DSD athlete can bring her levels of testosterone down to below 5 nmol/L by taking ordinary doses of oral contraceptives. It also accepted that this may have unwanted side effects, but these are not different in nature to those experienced by the many thousands if not millions of XX women who take oral contraceptives, and that such side effects can be minimised by indivisualising treatment.

“In short, then, side effects are a risk of taking any medication.  Side effects of oral contraceptives may include sweating episodes and flushes, which are more likely if compliance to treatment is poor or inconsistent. Any side effects should be managed by the athlete’s treating physician, who should also advise the athlete on consistent compliance with her treatment.

“There are some effects of the medication that might be considered as or confused with ‘side effects’ but are in fact the desired effects of treatment to reduce testosterone levels. Those are effects like loss of muscle mass, reduction of haemoglobin concentration, and increase in fat mass.  For many 46 XY individuals with one of these DSDs and a female gender identity, such treatment is the recognised standard of care, and the medication helps to change their body to better reflect their chosen gender.”

7. Why are you targeting one athlete / How big a problem is this in the sport?

“Some commentators have suggested that the regulations were (and have always been) directed at an individual athlete. That is not true. The IAAF is bound by strict confidentiality and so simply cannot – and will not – disclose the number of other athletes affected, or the identities of those athletes.

“We have seen in a decade and more of research that approximately 7.1 in every 1000 elite female athletes in our sport are DSD athletes with very high testosterone levels in the male range. The majority of those athletes compete in the restricted events covered by the regulations. This frequency of DSD individuals in the elite athlete population is around 140 times higher than you will find in the general female population, and their presence on the podium is much more frequent even than this. The CAS accepted that this demonstrates, in statistical terms, that they have a significant performance advantage.”

8. Why are you focused on testosterone rather than other genetic differences like leg length, height or arm span?

“It is correct that elite sport celebrates and rewards genetic differences (height, wing span, fast twitch muscles, etc).

“The only genetic difference that elite sport does not celebrate is the genetic difference between men (with male chromosomes, XY) and women (with female chromosomes, XX). That is because XY chromosomes produce testes (rather than ovaries), which produce testosterone in the typical male range (rather than testosterone in the – much lower – typical female range), which is what produces men’s bigger and stronger bones and muscles and higher haemoglobin levels, which gives them a massive performance advantage over women.

“CAS accepted this, and therefore accepted that the main driver of the marked sex difference in sport performance (10-12% on average) is the physical advantages conferred by having testosterone levels in the male range (7.7 – 29.4 nmol/L in blood) rather than the normal female range (06 – 1.68 nmol/L).

“Everyone agrees there must be separate male and female competition categories precisely to ensure that this genetic difference (XY chromosomes producing testes and high testosterone levels rather than XX chromosomes producing ovaries and low testosterone levels) is not outcome-determinative.

“We regulate 46 XY DSD athletes because they have that same genetic difference. If that genetic difference makes it unfair for men to compete against women, it also (obviously) makes it unfair for 46 XY women to compete against women. The 46 XY DSD athlete’s testes mean that she produces testosterone not in the female range (0.06 to 1.68 nmol/L) but instead in the male range (7.7 to 29.4 nmol/L). If a 46 XY DSD athlete’s body can make use of the testosterone that it produces, then she has all the same advantages as a 46 XY man has over a 46 XX woman.

“That conclusion is supported by our research and observation, which show such athletes possess a very clear performance advantage. Our research of more than a decade included testing all female athletes at the Daegu 2011 and Moscow 2013 World Championships. We have been able to study performances of athletes with elevated and supressed testosterone levels and have seen the difference in performance in long sprint and middle distance running events. This has informed our regulations.”

9. There is a lot of comment that the research and data underlying the regulations is flawed. How robust is the research?

“There are a lot of published papers by the IAAF medical team and many other experts in the field. These articles (all of them) are only a part of the basis for the Regulations. The other part are scientific observations from the field with a historical listing of the DSD cases in Athletics, as well as performance evolution in DSD athletes when unsuppressed/suppressed/unsuppressed. These last two important components were shared with CAS but are highly confidential as they include medical data that can identify individual athletes. All published papers have been peer-reviewed. For example, the 2017 Bermon & Garnier BJSM paper was criticised for its statistical approach. A new set of statistics were provided on a modified database (taking into account some of the criticisms raised). This can be found in the BJSM 2018 paper which confirms with a different statistical method the main findings of the 2017 paper. This is explained clearly in the 2018 paper and other criticisms of these papers are misplaced. CAS in its reasoned decision acknowledged that although not comprehensive (for obvious methodological reasons), the research used by the IAAF was valid and admissible. CAS decided that that research, along with the other published papers provided by the IAAF, and the evidence from the field mentioned above, was enough to establish that the elevated testosterone levels that 46 XY DSD athletes possess can create an ‘insuperable advantage’ over other female athletes who do not have a 46 XY DSD.”

10. If a DSD athlete competed nationally without taking medication and broke the world record in restricted events, would it be ratified?

“No, the world record would not be ratified. The Regulations clearly require a DSD athlete to comply with the regulations (and supress her testosterone) in order to be eligible to set a world record in a restricted event at a competition that is not an International Competition. See clauses 2.1 and 2.3 of the Regulations.”

11. What happens if these regulations are challenged under the national laws of different countries?

“We would defend any claim that was made in any national or international forum as we would any other challenge (including if necessary on jurisdictional grounds). These are international sporting regulations so need to have harmonised effect across the world. That is why the rules require disputes to be resolved at CAS. CAS is competent to rule on all legal claims, including human rights claims, and it did so in its recent ruling, in favour of the IAAF.

“The CAS has found the discrimination in these regulations (treating 46 XY DSD women differently from other women) to be justified because they are a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the legitimate objective of protecting fair competition in the female classification. In short, it found that in this context ‘biological reality trumps gender identity’. That ruling should be respected and enforced by the national courts.”

12. The World Medical Association (WMA) has issued a statement advising physicians not to implement the IAAF regulations and calling for their withdrawal. What is your response?

“We have written to the WMA and its Board Members to make it clear that our Regulations are not predicated on a ‘single study’ but 15 years of observations and research from the field (as well as a number of peer-reviewed studies, many of which are listed in the explanatory notes to the Regulations, and are publicly available). We have also pointed out that in 46 XY DSD individuals, reducing serum testosterone to female levels by using a contraceptive pill (or other means) is the recognised standard of care for 46 XY DSD individuals with a female gender identity (whether those individuals are athletes, or not). These medications are gender-affirming. We have asked that our letter which can be found here is circulated to its members so they are aware of the information we have provided. We encourage all interested parties to read the regulations and the explanatory notes available on the IAAF website.”

The first British Athletics League Division 2, 3 and 4 fixture of 2019 will no longer take place due to a shortage of officials

The opening Division 2, 3 and 4 fixture in this year’s British Athletics League (BAL) has been cancelled due to a shortage of officials.

The combined match had been due to take place at Bedford on Sunday (May 12).

The joint Premiership and Division 1 match will still take place as planned in Swansea.

“Unfortunately, despite best efforts, it became apparent last week that we were dangerously low on officials who had agreed to officiate the meeting,” said Dean Hardman, chair of the BAL, with the opening League matches having been scheduled for the same weekend as the county championships.

“The decision to clash (with the county champs) was taken in good faith, there was no intention to do anything other than give as many decent level competition opportunities to athletes as we could.

“We will let people know what the arrangements are for any rearranged fixture or what the decision is.”

On the competition calendar, Hardman said: “The reason why these clashes happen in May is that the calendar is very congested. That’s not to say we’re saying that it (the opening match) won’t be rearranged, we just need to have that conversation.

“At the AGM last November, when this decision (the calendar) was approved by clubs, I stated as chair that this was not about trying to persuade officials not to officiate at their county championships. The intention was to encourage as many officials as we could to do both. That’s why the match is on a Sunday and why it was a triple header as well.”

He added: “We have made a decision as a committee that we will not seek to repeat this clash in 2020.”

England flanker James Haskell says he "blubbed" in front of his Northampton team-mates when he told them he would be retiring at the end of the season.

The back row, 34, was capped 77 times by his country, winning three Six Nations titles, including a Grand Slam.

"I said goodbye to the lads the other day and I broke down, I blubbed in front of them. I couldn't get my words out. I didn't expect that," he said.

"I just couldn't speak and I cried. There are a lot of emotions with it."

Former Wasps player Haskell has struggled with ankle and toe problems this season, making only four appearances.

He already has business ventures in health and fitness programmes and DJ-ing, which he did alongside his playing career, but admits it will be difficult to adjust to life after rugby.

"Finding my feet again is going to be really hard. I'm lucky, my wife is amazing, she spotted it coming and I do have good days and bad days," Haskell added.

"I speak to a lot of players who have retired and they find it hard. A lot of players find it hard. A lot of sportsmen get depression, all sorts of mental health issues.

"A lot of people come up to me and say, 'you'll be alright, you've done this, it's impressive', but it's as terrifying as if I had never done anything."

'Jones got the best out of me'

Haskell toured with the British and Irish Lions to New Zealand in 2017 after being part of the England team who won the Grand Slam in 2016 and whitewashed Australia on tour that summer.

He said he believed his international career was over after the 2015 World Cup, but came back into the fold when Eddie Jones was appointed head coach.

"My best games for England were under Eddie Jones," he said.

"Eddie out of everyone treated me in a way that got the best out of me.

"He understood that I was a guy who needed an arm around me, needed my tyres pumped up, someone to believe in me and actively want to help me."

CONCORD, N.C. – The ARCA Menards Series invaded Charlotte Motor Speedway Tuesday afternoon for an open test session in advance of the General Tire 150 on May 23.

Harrison Burton, driving the No. 20 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports, set the fastest time of the test session. His 29.631-second lap at 182.242 mph, which came late in the day, led a Venturini Motorsports sweep of the top three spots ahead of Christian Eckes and Michael Self.

“We just did a qualifying run right there. I think all the Venturini cars did,” Burton said of his fast lap. “It was kind of fun to go out and let it loose and go for a good lap, which is something that drivers always like to do.

“We’re just working on the balance on the No. 20, trying to get it to where we can rotate the corner and still have good rear grip. I feel like our qualifying trim was really good, just need a little bit more in race trim and we’ll be pretty hard to beat.”

Burton, who is competing full-time in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series this year for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is slated to compete in the General Tire 150 one day after his high school graduation.

“I’m going to have a busy week,” Burton said with a laugh.

Riley Herbst, who tested two different Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas Tuesday, was fourth fastest and reigning ARCA champion Sheldon Creed was fifth in a GMS Racing Chevrolet.

Travis Braden, the current ARCA Menards Series championship leader, managed only the 15th fastest lap. He explained that he and the RFMS Racing team battled a tight condition throughout the test.

“It’s kind of an all-new package for us. We just had to figure out where the starting point was and go from there,” Braden said. “We kind of unloaded really tight and never found anything to make it not tight. I guess that is still somewhat of a positive for us because every deal we had last year we were fighting really loose. We wanted to get that out of it and we did, now we just have to kind of figure out how to meet in the middle.”

Other notables at the test were reigning NHRA Pro Stock champion Tanner Gray, rookie Cole Glasson, Richard Petty’s grandson Thad Moffitt, multi-time ARCA Midwest Tour champion Ty Majeski and 2018 Daytona ARCA runner-up Willie Mullins.

Mullins, who hasn’t competed since an early crash in the ARCA opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway in February, is planning to make his first start at a 1.5-mile speedway at Charlotte later this month.

“It was a very good day. We made progress all day, mainly as a driver,” Mullins said. “We worked all day to go faster. Every run with older and older tires we went faster and faster. That just shows you how much is left in the car. We’ve got a good car to come back and run a solid 10th or 15th at least, if not better.”

The Boston Bruins open the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night at home. But defenseman Charlie McAvoy won't be participating in Game 1, having been suspended for one playoff game by the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Tuesday for an illegal check to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson.

It's the first time McAvoy, 21, has been fined or suspended in his two-year NHL career.

In the second period of Game 6 on Monday night, Anderson and Zdeno Chara of the Bruins raced after a loose puck. Anderson gained control and attempted to move deeper into the attacking zone. McAvoy skated over and checked Anderson, making contact with his body but mostly with his head. Anderson fell to the ice and went to the trainers room with 23 seconds remaining in the period.

He later returned to the game and even had a conversation with McAvoy in the handshake line after the Bruins eliminated the Blue Jackets with a 3-0 win.

Despite the impact of the hit, McAvoy was given only a two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check to the head by the on-ice officials. Since there is no provision for a major penalty on that call, the refs had to decide whether to give him two minutes or a match penalty, which carries an ejection. But that latter call is made only in cases where the officials feel there was a deliberate intent to injure another player.

McAvoy said there wasn't any intent on his part.

"I put my shoulder into him," he said. "It was a hockey play. I tried to deliver a check. I was penalized two minutes for it."

The Department of Player Safety said it accepted McAvoy's argument that there was no malicious intent on the hit but that his approach in making the hit showed poor decision-making -- that a hit delivered through the core of Anderson's body was possible but McAvoy instead went too high and made contact with the Blue Jackets forward's head.

"It's important to note that while Anderson's body and front shoulder do absorb some contact on this check, the main point of contact was the head," the department said in a video explaining the one-game suspension.

McAvoy played 54 games for the Bruins in the regular season, scoring seven goals, making 21 assists and skating 22:10 per game. Through 13 playoff games, he has a goal and five assists and is averaging 24:46 of ice time.