Rehiring Richardson looks to have been a masterstroke.

Under his tuition she has played four tour-level tournaments – including the 2021 US Open and this year’s Queen’s – and won 14 of her 17 matches.

Richardson is an old-school coach who brings volume to create good habits – basically, hitting plenty of balls and putting in the hard yards.

Known as a ‘gentle giant’, Raducanu says Richardson also has a fiery side that ignites the competitive spark in her.

His messaging can sometimes be sparse, but the targeted input has an impact with a player who likes to be challenged by her coaches.

During the second set against Vekic, Richardson could be heard telling Raducanu to drive returns up the middle of the court – to drag her opponent into the longer duels that she did not relish.

It was a tactic which changed the complexion of the match.

“It’s great to have him back. I think we have been working on this game style. The whole week I have been playing really, really good tennis and the brand of tennis that I really want to play,” Raducanu said.

“I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily the old Emma. I think it’s the new Emma.

“You take all the lessons and experience, all the different ups and downs, and you take everything. You understand a lot more what’s going on and what works for you.”

Raducanu has shown she plays better when surrounded by long-time confidants who she trusts implicitly.

On home turf, with a swell of support from friends and fans, it has been striking how relaxed and happy she has looked at Queen’s – enabling her to play with the freedom she craves.

The positive vibes which the British grass events provide Raducanu have also been evident at Wimbledon where, aside from her fairytale in New York, she has produced the best Slam results of her career.

A total of 82 bank branches are expected to close across the UK in June alone

A Cambridgeshire branch is among nearly 250 banks that are due to close in 2026 as the major banks continue their withdrawal from the high street. You can check our map to see if your local branch is on the list.

By the start of this month, 138 banks had closed across the UK in 2026. June is set to be the most destructive month so far, with 82 branches due to close this month alone, and more to follow throughout the year.

In total, closure dates have been fixed for 245 branches of the major banks by the end of this year. That includes the Santander in High Street, Huntingdon, which closed last month.

While that is the only Cambridgeshire bank scheduled to close this year, 29 banks have closed in our county since 2022. That includes 10 branch closures in Huntingdonshire, seven in Fenland, six in Cambridge, three in Peterborough, two in East Cambridgeshire, and one in South Cambridgeshire.

You can check whether your local branch is due to close using our interactive map.

The closures affect every part of the UK, with 31 branches due to shutter in Scotland, 16 in Wales, and four in Northern Ireland. The rest are spread across England.

Lloyds customers have been hardest hit, with 82 Lloyds branches already shut or scheduled to close this year, along with 43 branches of Halifax and 28 branches of Bank of Scotland. That comes after Lloyds Banking Group announced it would close 166 branches in 2026 and 2027, including branches of Halifax, Bank of Scotland, and Lloyds Bank. The decision was blamed on customers shifting away from in-person banking to using mobile services.

Meanwhile, Santander is closing 54 branches this year, and NatWest is closing 35 banks.

Since February 2022, when all major banking groups committed to a voluntary agreement to assess the impact of each closure, a total of 2,167 branches have either shut down or announced plans to close. That’s an average of nearly 10 closures each week.

The LINK initiative was established to scrutinise each closure and ensure that vulnerable customers and small businesses were not left behind in the transition to cashless payments and virtual banking. When closures leave communities without any local bank, banking hubs or free ATMs are set up to fill the gap. So far, LINK has recommended the opening of 277 bank hubs.

In May, the Government announced an independent review into access to banking, to be led by Richard Lloyd, the ex-Director General of Which? and the former interim Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority. As part of the review, Mr Lloyd has launched a consultation on the impact of branch closures and their implications for the future.

Currently, closure assessments focus on cash access and the potential gap left by a branch closure. But this assessment could be extended to include access to banking, which could mean recommending new banking hubs at branches that have already been assessed for closure, as well as at future sites. Experts believe the previous commitment of 350 hubs could increase to 550 if these changes are implemented.

Nick Quin, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, LINK: “More people are choosing to bank and pay for things digitally. Many people rely entirely on their smartphones when they leave the home, and don’t carry cash or even a wallet. That means cash use is falling too, but it remains critical, and over £76bn was withdrawn from LINK cash machines last year.

“Whenever a bank branch does close, LINK will assess the impact to see if additional cash services are required. We’re committed to protecting the cash infrastructure for the millions of people who still rely on it.”

Gareth Oakley, CEO, Cash Access UK: “The way people are banking is changing as more people choose to bank and pay for things digitally. But for those people who still rely on cash and face-to-face banking services, the good news is that more banking hubs are opening every week. We’ve opened more than 200 now, including 100 in 2025 alone.

“What’s particularly brilliant about hubs is that we can serve the customers of all the major high street banks in one location. They’re getting busier too with on average around 150 customer transactions every day. There’s a real buzz about them. Hubs alongside deposit services and other new cash solutions will continue to help businesses and consumers to readily access and deposit cash when they need to.”

Sir Keir Starmer, in a joint statement with the leaders of France, Germany and Italy, said the US-Iran deal must be “implemented rapidly and comprehensively”.

The joint statement from the so-called E4 said: “We warmly welcome the announcement of the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran. We congratulate the United States, the Iranian government and all those involved, including Pakistan, Qatar and all other mediators, on this diplomatic breakthrough.

“This is a moment of opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilise the global economy.

“It is now vital that the detailed negotiations are concluded and this agreement is implemented rapidly and comprehensively. We are ready to support that effort.

“The urgent re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz with unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation is essential. We are committed to playing our part to achieve this —in accordance with our respective constitutional requirements— including through a strictly defensive and independent mission to reassure commercial shipping and conduct mine clearance operations.

“Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. We stand ready to work with the US, Iran and the IAEA to this end. We are prepared to lift relevant sanctions in response to clear, verifiable steps by Iran on its nuclear programme.

“We will work intensively with the US, Iran and regional partners to seize this moment, maintain momentum and achieve a long-term diplomatic settlement.

“We also reaffirm our full support to the stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and the importance of a robust ceasefire.”

In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Al Qapa Ibn Antar was attempting to climb the Hardah Dam volcanic crater in Dhale, Yemen when he lost his grip and fell into the 120-metre crater

A daredevil adventurer known as “The Spider-Man of Yemen” has tragically died after a stunt went wrong.

Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar, 30, was climbing the steep walls of the Hardah Dam volcanic crater in the southern province of Dhale on Friday when he lost his grip and fell into the 120 meter (393 feet) crater below. He was attempting to climb vertical rock faces without any safety equipment, authorities said.

The Civil Defense Authority posted a short video capturing the moment of his fall. The 10-second video shows Antar climbing a rocky cliff without any safety equipment. On the cliff he is scaling names in Arabic have been written in white across the rock face. He is then seen holding the cliff with his right hand, with his left hand in the air, before he appears to lose his right grip and falls.

Rescue teams, including diving and water specialists, were sent to retrieve Antar’s body, which was found by divers at a depth of 30 meters (100 feet) below the water surface. The four-hour search and rescue operation was described by the authority as “complex” due to the steep and rocky location which made access difficult.

The Hardah Dam — known also as the Haradhat Damt — is a unique volcanic crater located near the city of Damt, in Yemen ‘s southern Dahle province. A landmark of the region, the crater has steep rocky walls with a hot sulfurous lake at its base.

Antar had gained fame on social media platforms where he posted videos showing him performing high-risk ascents of some of Yemen’s most rugged terrain. His videos often went viral. In one of them he was seen hanging from the edge of a rocky cliff using his bare hands, his legs dangling toward a steep slope in a risky performance without safety equipment.

The Civil Defense Authority has urged those who climb and engage in adventure sports to observe safety procedures and issued a warning to use “appropriate protective gear to avert similar incidents.”

Andrew Husband, Reform leader of the council, said the authority had made significant progress in supporting the local economy, improving community safety and tackling homelessness, while managing what he described as a continuing care crisis and the impact of changes to local government funding.

Speaking as councillors reviewed the council’s latest performance report, Cllr Husband said the authority had remained focused on directing resources towards areas that matter most to residents.

“We have continued to deliver strongly across many of our priorities, while also being open about the challenges we are managing,” the Chester-le-Street member said. 

“It demonstrates how we have continued to respond to the care crisis and wider operational challenges we face as a large and complex council, while dealing with the impacts of national reforms in areas like local government finance, which do little to resolve our structural funding gaps.”

The report shows the council supported 1,429 businesses over the past year, secured 14 inward investment projects and helped create or safeguard 1,673 jobs across County Durham.

Council investment of £1 million in festivals and events generated an estimated £7.6 million for the local economy, according to the report.

The council said reports of anti-social behaviour had fallen to their lowest level in two years, while fly-tipping remained low at 9.6 incidents per 1,000 residents. 

The report highlighted work to address housing pressures, with 483 households helped to retain or secure accommodation and 889 households assessed as homeless receiving support during the year.

The authority also met its target to repair 90 per cent of road network defects within agreed timescales in three out of four repair categories.

And Cllr Husband said these improvements showed residents were seeing the benefits of the council’s work.

He told cabinet members: “Together, that adds to the sense that alongside our economic ambitions we are continuing to deliver practical improvements which residents can see and feel in their day-to-day lives.”

Hamilton’s victory, in such convincing style, has inevitably raised questions about what he and Ferrari can go on to achieve.

The team entered this year with high hopes that the new regulations for chassis and engine could give them a chance to return to the front.

So six consecutive Mercedes victories at the start of the year, and the obvious fact that Ferrari’s engine was lagging behind the best, were an unwelcome surprise.

The Ferrari car was as good as anything else in the corners – perhaps the best – but that was not enough to compete with Mercedes.

Barcelona changed all that. Ferrari introduced their second major upgrade of the year, to follow the first at the fourth race of the season in Miami.

And on a track where power is not such an important part in lap time, it made a critical difference.

Hamilton was left behind by Antonelli in Monaco a week ago, on a track where power is even less important. But this time he was the fastest driver in the race.

The win – in combination with Antonelli’s first retirement of the year – puts Hamilton 41 points adrift of the Italian, and extends his lead over Russell to nine.

And under F1’s engine rules, Ferrari have been granted two upgrades this season, Mercedes only one. The first could come, it is said, as early as the next race in Austria.

Hamilton has been seeking that elusive eighth title ever since he lost it in the controversy of Abu Dhabi 2021. To achieve it with Ferrari would be one of the biggest stories F1 has ever seen. Can he do it?

“With the way that the year started out, I have not really been thinking about it like that,” Hamilton said. “I’ve not been thinking about an eighth.

“Mercedes have come out the gates with a blistering car and blistering pace, both drivers doing such a great job. We know we have this power deficit.

“There’s going to be tracks where we go to with long, long straights where that makes it even harder.

“But we’ve got a great car at the core and if we keep adding performance and we can go through the corners quicker, maybe we can narrow that deficit down a little bit until we improve or until we close the gap on power.”

Wolff said: “I’d rather not fight with him for a title because I know what he’s capable of. If he smells blood, he goes. I’ve seen it many years where suddenly the Lewis Hamilton train started to go and then it’s very difficult to stop it.”

Uruguay’s national team have blamed Fifa after a chaotic start to their World Cup campaign following the delay to their travel from their Mexico base to Miami for their first match.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have travelled to Cancun for final preparations before getting their World Cup underway against Saudi Arabia on Monday but the squad were left waiting as their prepared plane didn’t have clearance to fly to the US.

The problem facing the team was reportedly due to issues with paperwork for the aircraft which meant it had not been approved to take the route from Cancun to Miami.

The Uruguayan team remained at the Mayakoba Complex, a hotel resort about 45 minutes from Cancun International airport, before a solution was found, with the Uruguayan FA left angry with Fifa.

The AUF said: “Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed. The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4.15pm.”

An AUF spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic that they considered Fifa to be responsible for the problems, though Fifa did not immediately respond after a request for comment.

Bielsa had been scheduled to attend a pre-match press conference at the Miami Stadium at 8pm EST on Sunday, with no confirmation over a new time or a complete cancellation.

Uruguay legend Diego Forlan appeared upset at the situation, writing: “Who is to blame???,” Forlan wrote, followed by “Arriba Uruguay!!”

The Independent has contacted Fifa for comment.

Uruguay’s plight is one of a number of travel issues that teams and individuals have faced when travelling to the US for the tournament.

Somalian referee, Omar Artan, was famously denied entry into the country due to unspecified “vetting concerns” despite being on the list of approved Fifa employees and Palestine’s football chief, Jibril Rajoub, revealed on Friday that he is still awaiting permission to enter the country.

Iran, meanwhile, are claiming its fan ticket allocation has been revoked – just one week before their first match against New Zealand in Los Angeles with the country’s football federation (FFIRI) stating last Tuesday that it is a decision which will “sabotage the presence of Iranian fans”.

Elsewhere, Ghana’s Thomas Partey was denied entry to Canada, due to previously being charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by London’s Metropolitan Police. Fifa confirmed in a statement: “FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s team base camp … to Canada for their first match against Panama … as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government.”

Uruguay play their first two group stage matches in Miami, taking on Saudi Arabia on June 15 before facing Cape Verde on June 21. They travel back to Mexico for their final group game against Spain on June 27.

The Monday letters page worries about the changes coming to Xbox, as a reader looks forward to Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Peak Chief
I’ve been spending a lot of the weekend going back through old Xbox 360 games, thanks to a busted PlayStation 5, and I’m going through Halo 3 for the hundredth time. I sometimes forget how good these Halo games were and I know not everyone is a fan of them, like 343, but Halo at its peak just couldn’t be beaten.

I’ve played these levels countless times and it still feels fresh because there are always new ways to beat them. Add in the fantastic soundtrack and you’ve got one of the best games ever made.

The Halo re-remake looks OK but it just has that modern day corporate stink about it, although I know I’m going to end up paying for it, so I can’t really complain.
Simon

Art through the ages
I do wonder if the Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake will have separate art style for both periods of time Link occupies.

We could have a colourful dreamy youth, a bit like Pan’s Labyrinth after a big mug of Horlicks, but a future far removed taking on a grittier Lord Of The Rings tone.

I think the original tried this to a certain degree, but stylised graphics have come a long way since then so a much less subtle approach would be interesting to see.
Bad Edit

Old tech
I read the original Xbox was £299 at launch. I think I paid a bit more but my point is 24 years later for the technology we have it’s not a massive jump over that time, taking inflation into account for the state of the art consoles.

I do sometimes wonder if it’s all witchcraft though. I remember setting up the first console after getting broadband and had Far Cry, which had a multiplayer mode, and I was blown away and shocked at hearing some guy in America talking to me.

One thing Microsoft do do well is the online infrastructure, even back then. But it’s still witchcraft how someone on the other side of the world hears your voice in a second and sees your character move… magical and amazing really, something the younger generations take for granted.
TWO MACKS

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Sign of the times
Gaming in the past: 1. Put game in machine. 2. Turn on. 3. Play while eating some crisps.

Gaming in 2026: 1. Put game in machine. 2. Wait half an hour for the game to install off the disc. 3. Wait fove more hours for the game to download a 24GB update from the internet. 4. Finally load game but immediately get stuck on broken account creation screen that errors when you enter your details.

The game in question is Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws on PlayStation 5. Is it any good? Don’t ask me! I know not all games are this bad, but this cannot be OK, right?
Robert (Antisocial Rob)

Indirect news
Very interesting preview article for the forthcoming Tomb Raider game. Nice one!

Of all the stuff that recently appeared on the store, that’s my most wanted game. Looks and sounds to be very promising.

Also, any news when we might actually get to see some proper gameplay footage of the Zelda remaster/remake? A potential masterpiece of a masterpiece, kind of.
Paul C.

GC: None so far but if it’s out this year, so it can’t be too long. Nintendo often have a Direct in September so it should be by then, at least.

Inevitable change
Xbox CEO Sharma’s next 100 days communication was surprisingly candid and brutal in its assessment of the past failures and current problems at Xbox.

The reset she says is needed sounds like it will be deep and far ranging. Who knows what Xbox will look like in a year’s time.

Some have speculated that much that has been done by her up until now, like bringing back exclusives, especially Gears, and that Xbox logo all caps thing was about positive PR. Plugging Sharma’s vision for the repair job into the glory days of Xbox and bringing the faithful on board to her vision for the brand and the big changes that are incoming.

‘It’s only fitting as we return to Xbox, we return to Gears’, to quote Sharma from the recent showcase. Planting the idea that her changes will lead to renewal and better times again.

I don’t think it’s a cynical as it sound though, she could be right. She’s right about the hole Xbox is in, that ‘tough decisions’ are needed and I think that they absolutely feel some exclusivity going forward is needed, even if the specifics are hazy.

It sounds like a genuine attempt to change the pattern and do something new and positive with Xbox. Sadly, though the first moves seem easy to predict. Sack a load of people and close some studios.
Simundo

Dragon Warrior
I kind of like the fact that no one in the West cares about Dragon Quest, because it means it gets to carry on and just be itself. They keep trying to make it edgier and more adult but it never works. Although while they said they changed direction on that for Dragon Quest 12 I still worry that the art looks a lot more serious than I feel it should be.

It’s just goofy kid’s game, that a lot of people in Japan have fond memories. You can’t turn it into Final Fantasy, let alone something like Dragon Age, without turning it into something it isn’t, which I hope they never do.
Royston

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Cause and consequence
That list of games coming out in September and October is insane. As you said, there are going to be so many that underperform.

I guess I’m part of the problem though. Here me out on this…

When Project Gotham Racing 2 came out on the Xbox I didn’t hesitate to spend the £40 on it back in 2003 (It was a bloody good game!).

And I maybe would buy two or three full price games a month. Gaming was my main hobby, so I’d spend the money, even though I didn’t earn loads and I had a mortgage and a young son.

£40 in 2003 is equivalent to about £82 now. But even though I don’t have a mortgage or any young children, and I earn significantly more (even adjusting for inflation), I’m very reluctant to buy games new. There’s money in the bank, but I prefer not to spend it on new games. I’ll wait a few months and get it discounted.

Mafia: The Old Country I got for £25 instead of, I think £40.

This week I bought Resident Evil 4 remake for £9, even though the new one, Requiem, looks really good. But it’s nearly £50, even in the sale. Give it time and it’ll come down.

I’m not sure if I’m wiser or just tight, but if others are like me, it’s not going to help the games industry.

Thanks for the good work!
DB

GC: Your attitude is perfectly understandable but if nobody buys the games near launch then that sort of game won’t get made any more, even if the developer survives – which they’re increasingly unlikely to in the current climate. It’s why there’s not going to be another XCOM, to use but one example.

Inbox also-rans
None of the Xbox games that flopped are a surprise to me but it makes me wonder what will get greenlit now the new boss is in charge. I get the feeling it’s not going to shake the ShooterBox image.
Orion

Surprised to see the trailer for the new Spyro game do so well, but I worry that if Crash Bandicoot didn’t do enough for Activision’s satisfaction that this has even less chance.
Keef

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