A MAN has been arrested following a burglary at England cricket captain Ben Stokes’s home in County Durham, police said.
Stokes said his wife and two children were at their house in Castle Eden during the break-in on October 17 when his OBE and other valuables were taken.
Durham Constabulary said a 32-year-old man from North Yorkshire was arrested on suspicion of burglary overnight.
He has since been bailed while inquiries continue.
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It comes after Stokes appealed for help recovering his valuables on social media.
The cricketer wrote: “They escaped with jewellery, other valuables and a good deal of personal items.
“Many of those items have real sentimental value for me and my family. They are irreplaceable.
“This is an appeal for any help in finding these people who carried out this act.
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“By far the worst thing about this crime is that it was carried out whilst my wife and two young children were in the house.
“Thankfully, none of my family came to any physical harm.
“Understandably, however, the experience has had an impact on their emotional and mental state.
“All we can think about is how much worse this situation could have been.
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“I am releasing photographs of some of the stolen items – which I hope may be easily identified.
“This is in the hope that we can find the people who are responsible for this.
“Although we have lost cherished possessions, to be clear, my sole motivation in sharing these photographs is not the recovery of material items. It is to catch the people who did this.
“Please come forward and contact Durham Constabulary on 101 quoting crime reference CRI00575927 if you think that you have any relevant information.
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“Finally, I want to say thank you to the police service. Both now and whilst I was away in Pakistan, their support for my family has been outstanding.
“They continue to work incredibly hard in trying to find these people.”
Damon Hill stands by his criticisms of Max Verstappen’s driving, saying the Dutchman uses “fear and intimidation” against his Formula 1 rivals.
The 1996 world champion has come under attack from Verstappen in the wake of remarks he made this week accusing the Red Bull ace of acting like Wacky Races villain Dick Dastardly.
Speaking on a Sky podcast, Hill said that the second clash between Verstappen and Lando Norris in Mexico last week was something he was not very happy with.
“The second move was just daft and Dick Dastardly stuff,” said Hill. “He accelerated to the apex and drove Lando off the track and Lando didn’t have much option. That was silly driving.”
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Verstappen said in Brazil that he felt some remarks made this week against him were simply about causing mischief.
“[I listen to] people that are objective and close to me and not just there to stir [things up],” said Verstappen when asked about Hill’s comments. “Some people are just being very annoying.
“I know who these people are, although I don’t really pay a lot of attention to them anyway.”
While Hill was obviously in Verstappen’s sights when he made those remarks, the Briton said on Friday that his opinion was unchanged.
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Asked on Sky if he stood by his comments, he said: “Yes, I do. I think that he [Verstappen] is using fear and intimidation.
Damon Hill
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“I think he also has explained a little bit more about his tactics, which has been that he regards it as a gamble. Sometimes it may pay off and sometimes he may get the better of the stewards, they might not apply a penalty. But he’s also using it as a way of compromising the title contender in Lando Norris.
“So, there’s some logic, there’s some method, to his angriness, if you want to call it that, on the track.
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“He, as he says, he knows what he’s doing, but is it right and is it fair? And I think there’s also rules….to ensure fairness, and we shouldn’t be condoning driving cars off the track.”
Hill reckoned that Verstappen’s aggressive approach to racing was something that he had carried with him since he first entered F1.
“I’m clear about what I understand Max to be,” added Hill. “He’s been like that, and he’s been consistent from the moment he arrived in F1 in using what was regarded as dangerous tactics.
“The regulations have been brought in to clear up some of the things that he himself has brought upon himself, because of the way he drives.
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“The FIA bring in regulations, obviously, to try and contain it, because they don’t race to be like that. They don’t want dangerous situations as well, such as changing lines in the braking area and stuff like that, which is what he used to get up to as well.”
Hill also said it was wrong of Verstappen to suggest that it was only a couple of people who were criticising him.
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“When he makes the point about individuals, it’s not individuals, it’s almost universal disapproval,” added Hill. “That’s the point. It’s not a vendetta against Max. It’s simply the people who watch the racing want it to be conducted in a reasonable and fair way.
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“If everybody was doing this, it would be daft, it would be silly, and it wouldn’t be worth watching. We like close racing.
“Where we are, in Sao Paulo, this is where it all started, a little bit in ’21, with him running deep into Turn Four [against Lewis Hamilton].
“Everyone went, ‘hang on a minute, you can’t just run the guy off, clean off the road to defend.’ And he’s still doing it.”
Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs has been given a two-match stadium ban and fined £7,000 for misconduct by the Football Association.
Hobbs’ charge related to an incident following the 2-1 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday, 20 October.
Wolves were unhappy that John Stones’ injury-time winner was allowed to stand, with the defender’s header awarded by referee Chris Kavanagh despite initially being disallowed because Bernardo Silva was standing in an offside position.
Hobbs admitted the FA charge, which alleged he had acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive words towards the match official/s around the tunnel area after the final whistle.
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It is the second time in less than a year Hobbs has been found guilty of misconduct.
In November 2023 the 44-year-old was given a one-game stadium suspension and ordered to pay £4,000 after admitting using improper and/or abusive and/or insulting language towards a match official after Newcastle were awarded a controversial penalty in a 2-2 draw at Molineux.
The former UFC strawweight champion successfully hit the 125-pound mark for her co-main event bout against Erin Blanchfield at UFC Edmonton. Currently No. 10 and No. 8, respectively, in the MMA Fighting Pound-for-Pound Rankings, Namajunas and Blanchfield could earn themselves title shot consideration with a win. It’s unlikely either bypasses top contender Manon Fiorot—who recently defeated both fighters—but Saturday’s winner could be next in line should they deliver an impressive performance.
In the main event, flyweights Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi also successfully made weight. Moreno is a two-time UFC champion and seeks to hold on to his No. 4 spot after a pair of painful split-decision losses to rivals Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval. He’ll have to get past No. 6 Albazi, a contender coming off of a long layoff that is yet to lose in five UFC appearances.
Watch UFC Edmonton ceremonial weigh-in video above, scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET.
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All 28 fighters competing at Saturday’s event at Rogers Place successfully made weight at Friday’s official morning weigh-ins.
Arsenal interim manager Renee Slegers says she will be in charge for at least the next five matches at the Women’s Super League club.
Dutchwoman Slegers took over on 15 October when former manager Jonas Eidevall resigned.
Slegers has since overseen a 4-1 win over against Valerenga in the Women’s Champions League group stages and a 2-0 victory over West Ham in the WSL.
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“For these five games, I will be staying in the interim role,” said Slegers.
When asked if she could see herself doing the role long-term, she added: “I definitely see myself doing it at the moment.
“I enjoy working with the girls and the club to try to get successes. I have done it before and enjoy the role but when you do it over a period of time it becomes different. Now, I am really enjoying my role.”
New York City head coach Nick Cushing has emerged as a candidate to replace Eidevall but is overseeing play-off matches in the United States in November.
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Cushing led Manchester City to the WSL title in 2016 during a seven-year spell before moving to the United States in 2020.
Arsenal face a trip to Leigh Sports Village to take on Manchester United in the WSL on Sunday before hosting Brighton next Friday – both teams are currently above them in the table.
They also play Juventus twice in the Women’s Champions League this month, either side of an away game at north London rivals Tottenham in the WSL.
“We are competing in two competitions. If you want to get straight to it, we are going for five wins,” said Slegers.
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“That is what we’re trying to achieve. It’s as easy as that on paper. I know it’s small margins, top opposition and it will be hard challenges but of course we believe we can achieve that.”
DREAM TEAM brings you all the latest injury, suspension and availability news ahead of Gameweek 10 in one easily digestible dose.
Dream Team managers should know to take Mikel Arteta’s quotes with a pinch of salt but Arsenal’s head coach told reporters that Gabriel will be included in the matchday squad to face Newcastle if the defender makes it through the final training session without complaint.
Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Martin Odegaard remain sidelined while Ben White is also a major doubt having been unable to train.
As for the Magpies, Eddie Howe admitted both Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon are carrying “niggling injuries” with the pair to be assessed before confirmation of their availability.
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Gabriel is the most transferred-out player ahead of Gameweek 10Credit: Reuters
Pep Guardiola told journalists that he had just 13 senior players fit after Manchester City’s defeat to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup.
While that may have been an exaggeration from the decorated tactician, the defending champions will be missing several key men again this weekend.
Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku are the certainties (plus long-term absentees Rodri and Oscar Bobb) while Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol and Savinho were all flagged in midweek – the latter was stretchered off.
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It might not mean anything but Gvardiol posted a relatively positive update on social media on Thursday: “We keep moving forward with full focus on Saturday!”
The Croatian left-back is the most-selected defender in Dream Team right now with an ownership of 28.9%.
Elsewhere, Micky van de Ven suffered a hamstring injury in midweek and is expected to be unavailable until after the international break.
Cristian Romero and Timo Werner are both doubts but Son Heung-min “should be okay” when Spurs host Aston Villa on Sunday.
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Unai Emery has nearly a complete squad to choose from – Ross Barkley is the only known absentee.
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Van de Ven has injured his hamstringCredit: Reuters
Arne Slot expects Alisson, Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa to return after the international break.
Lewis Dunk was initially expected to miss the next three or four weeks but Fabian Hurzeler said Brighton’s long-serving centre-back was set to undergo an assessment on Friday – it would still be surprise if he featured at Anfield on Saturday.
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Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley have returned to training but this weekend may come too soon in regards to competitive action.
Dwight McNeil is considered a doubt for Everton’s trip to Southampton on Saturday.
The 24-year-old, who ranks joint-sixth among Dream Team midfielders, supposedly “has a chance” of playing some part against Saints but he’s yet to train with the rest of the squad.
Abdoulaye Doucoure is also due for an assessment.
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Eze is unavailable for Palace this weekendCredit: PA
Nuno Espirito Santo kept his cards close to his chest in his press conference on Thursday but Chris Wood, Elliot Anderson, Jota Silva and Morgan Gibbs-White were all named as doubts.
Nottingham Forest will definitely be without James Ward-Prowse as he’s ineligible to face his parent club.
Crystal Palace will be without key players Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton for their visit to Wolves.
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The former will miss two league games with a hamstring injury while the latter may be sidelined for a month having had surgery on his troublesome groin.
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Injuries: Solly March, Matt O’Riley (doubt), James Milner, Joao Pedro (doubt), Adam Webster, Yankuba Minteh (doubt), Lewis Dunk (doubt), Ferdi Kadioglu (doubt)
Suspensions: None
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CHELSEA
Injuries: None
Suspensions: None
CRYSTAL PALACE
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Injuries: Matheus Franca, Chris Richards, Cheick Doucoure, Chadi Riad, Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, Jefferson Lerma, Joel Ward
Suspensions: None
EVERTON
Injuries: Youssef Chermiti, Armando Broja, Tim Iroegbunam, James Garner, Abdoulaye Doucoure (doubt), Dwight McNeil (doubt)
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Suspensions: None
FULHAM
Injuries: Sasa Lukic, Carlos Vinicius (doubt)
Suspensions: None
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IPSWICH
Injuries: Axel Tuanzebe, Massimo Luongo, Ben Johnson (doubt), Jacob Greaves, Chiedozie Ogbene, Jack Taylor
Suspensions: Harry Clarke
LEICESTER
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Injuries: Patson Daka, Jakub Stolarczyk, Hamza Choudhury, Issahaku Fatawu, Victor Kristiansen (doubt)
Suspensions: None
LIVERPOOL
Injuries: Harvey Elliott, Federico Chiesa, Alisson, Diogo Jota
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Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER CITY
Injuries: Oscar Bobb, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish, Savinho (doubt), Manuel Akanji (doubt), Josko Gvardiol (doubt)
Suspensions: None
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MANCHESTER UNITED
Injuries: Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia, Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire, Mason Mount, Antony
Suspensions: None
NEWCASTLE
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Injuries: Callum Wilson, Jamaal Lascelles, Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier, Alexander Isak (doubt), Anthony Gordon (doubt), Jacob Murphy
Suspensions: None
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Injuries: Danilo, Ibrahim Sangare, Morgan Gibbs-White (doubt), Chris Wood (doubt), Jota Silva (doubt), Elliot Anderson (doubt)
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Suspensions: None
SOUTHAMPTON
Injuries: Gavin Bazunu, Ross Stewart, Will Smallbone, Ryan Fraser (doubt), Flynn Downes (doubt), Ryan Manning (doubt)
Suspensions: None
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TOTTENHAM
Injuries: Son Heung-min (doubt), Djed Spence, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero (doubt), Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner (doubt)
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Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), a 25-year-old standout, will look to rebound from her first octagon loss when she takes on two-time strawweight champion Namajunas (13-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC), who has won two of three since changing divisions, in a five-round bout Saturday at Rogers Place (ESPN+).
Both women had to make weight Friday at the UFC host hotel before they can share the octagon, though, and they did their part. Blanchfield stepped on the scale at 125.5 pounds, while Namajunas was 1 25 pounds even.
Check out the video above to see Blanchfield and Namajunas make weight for the UFC Fight Night 246 co-headliner.
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