Ok, here we go! The players are just being introduced to the crowd by human Energizer bunny, MC Rob Walker.
Wu Yize is first up. A great reception for the Chinese star, who Rob describes as a “lean, mean potting machine”. The chants of “Wuuuuuuuuu” go up from the crowd.
Shaun Murphy is then introduced – roars from the crowd as he strolls down the steps looking relaxed.
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The 2026 World Snooker Championship final is about to get underway.
(Reuters)
Luke Baker3 May 2026 13:13
Shaun Murphy v Wu Yize format
So, how will this final work? We’re in for a treat, with a best-of-35 contest lined up over the next two days – 18 frames is the target for victory.
Here’s the session times:
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1pm: Session one – 8 frames
7pm: Session two – 9 frames
1pm: Session three – 8 frames
7pm: Session four – 9 frames
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Luke Baker3 May 2026 13:09
Mark Allen’s moment of heartbreak defines Crucible semi-final classic for the ages
In a semi-final that looked set to be remembered for the farcical scenes that led to the longest frame in Crucible history, Mark Allen produced a defining moment so heartbreaking that the 100-minute marathon became a mere footnote.
Allen had one foot and four-and-a-half toes in the World Snooker Championship final when he potted a spectacular long pink while leading Wu Yize 16-15 and landed perfectly on the final black. Black on its spot, cue ball perfectly positioned – it’s a simple pot that Allen makes 100 times out of 100. Except on this one, most important occasion.
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Read Luke Baker’s full report from a semi-final of high drama:
Luke Baker3 May 2026 13:01
Shaun Murphy v Wu Yize
What a final we have in store here. Shaun Murphy is already a world champion, having won the title in 2005 but, 21 years on, he’s desperate to join an elite club by becoming a multiple world champion.
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He’s lost three finals since that 2005 triumph, so will it be fourth time lucky for the 43-year-old Englishman.
Standing in his way is 22-year-old Chinese wonderkid Wu Yize. A potting machine, Wu is trying to become just the second Chinese world champion, 12 months after Zhao Xintong made history as the first.
He’ll be fearless, especially after coming back from the brink to beat Mark Allen in the semi-finals, and given both men’s propensity for attacking snooker, this one should be a high-scoring thriller.
Wu Yize battled past Mark Allen in the semi-finals (Reuters)
Luke Baker3 May 2026 12:54
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The lucky underpants that won Shaun Murphy his first world snooker title
Shaun Murphy has revealed that a pair of lucky underpants helped him win his first World Snooker Championship title, yet it wasn’t him who was wearing them.
Murphy begins the final of the 2026 tournament against 22-year-old Wu Yizethis afternoon but his first world title came back in 2005, when he was a relatively unknown 22-year-old himself.
Having come through qualifying to reach the Crucible, Murphy blitzed the field with his attacking snooker, seeing off Chris Small, John Higgins, Steve Davis and Peter Ebdon before beating Matthew Stevens 18-16 in the final.
Twenty-one years later, the now 43-year-old has revealed the victory may have been down to his nephew Joshua, who was just a child at the time and ensured that his uncle kept winning by wearing the same underwear each day he was at the Crucible.
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Luke Baker3 May 2026 12:50
Shaun Murphy v Wu Yize
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the 2026 World Snooker Championship final between Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize.
After a hugely dramatic day of semi-final action, can the final live up to the same standard?
Fernandes, who is on 19 assists and is one behind Henry and De Bruyne’s single-season record of 20, headed back across goal before Liverpool goalkeeper Freddie Woodman punched the ball onto striker Sesko and the deflection took it over the line.
Fernandes was given the assist on the Premier League’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, as he had the final attacking touch before Sesko put the ball in, even though Woodman had attempted to make the save in between.
But the definition of an assist in FPL, which is played by millions of fans around the world, and official Premier League records is different, and there was a change to FPL rules that meant an assist could still be awarded if there is only one defensive touch before the ball reaches the goalscorer.
For now, therefore, Fernandes will have one more Premier League assist in his FPL tally, but will remain behind Henry and De Bruyne as the Premier League officially does not award assists when there is a touch from a defending player.
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Meanwhile, the Premier League has sought to explain why Sekso’s goal stood following a VAR check on a possible handball. The VAR Stuart Attwell checked whether the ball brushed off Sesko’s hand before crossing the line.
An update from the Premier League Match Centre confirmed: “The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed there was no conclusive evidence that Sesko handled the ball before scoring.”
Acuña strained his left hamstring during Saturday’s 9-1 win over the Colorado Rockies, apparently sustaining the injury while running out a ground ball to second base. He grabbed at the back of his leg quickly after dashing from the batter’s box.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, the WWE tag team known as the New Day, reportedly departed the company on Saturday as part of the latest string of releases.
Kingston and Woods became fan favorites as they formed New Day with fellow superstar Big E. But after Big E was sidelined with a serious injury, the two continued their tag team prowess in the ring. Kingston and Woods were four-time tag team champions as a duo and held the belts eight times when they were with Big E.
Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston attend Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on May 31, 2025.(Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Fightful Select and BodySlam both reported the departures of Kingston and Woods. The two were moved to the alumni section of the WWE website.
Kingston had a ton of success as a singles competitor. He captured the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 over Daniel Bryan as part of the “Kofi-Mania” era where he received a ton of fan support on his way to his first title. He was also an intercontinental champion four times and a United States champion three times.
Woods joined WWE in 2010 after stints at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Woods won the King of the Ring tournament in 2021.
Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston of the New Day celebrate their win during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2025.(Craig Melvin/WWE)
As a tag team, the two were considered to be one of the best in WWE’s history. They captured their last titles at WrestleMania 41 and turned heel soon after that. The two lost their tag titles in June and Woods was injured during the year. Kingston formed an alliance with Grayson Waller in the interim before the departure.
Elsewhere, Tonga Loa and JC Mateo reportedly departed the company as well.
Loa first appeared in WWE in 2009 before departed in 2014. He re-appeared most recently in 2024, joining forces with Solo Sikoa and the newly formed MFT faction.
MFT’s JC Mateo, Talla Tonga, Solo Sikoa and Tonga Loa face off with Jimmy Uso during Saturday Night’s Main Event at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on July 12, 2025.(Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
Mateo joined WWE in 2025, also backing up Sikoa in the faction. He was also a tag team champion with Tama Tonga before eventually dropping the belts to Damian Priest and R-Truth in March.
Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
Here’s an up-to-date list of all NFL Players from Bozeman High School in Bozeman, MT.
The list includes only those players who have played in a regular-season NFL game. Consequently, players taken in the recent 2026 draft will not be included until they have seen the field.
The League does not officially recognize players who appeared only in preseason exhibition games.
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Bozeman is ranked as the No. 1 pro football player-producing high school in the state.
Montana has produced a total of 78 NFL players from 39 schools, with 6 pros currently active.
See where all the other schools in Big Sky Country rank here, with links to their respective players.
The 31-year-old was elevated from ‘interim’ to full heavyweight champion following his victory over Joseph Parker, which resulted in a stunning 11th-round finish last October.
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Dubois, meanwhile, has not fought since his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in July, back when he was relieved of his IBF title via an emphatic fifth-round stoppage.
The 21-year-old comes off a dominant fifth-round finish over Jermaine Franklin, who was dropped and stopped for the first time in his career.
While having not yet established himself at world level, his performance in March nonetheless suggests that Itauma is capable of competing with the likes of Wardley and Dubois.
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In fact, Hall of Famer Froch has opined on his YouTube channel, Froch On Fighting, that the hard-hitting prodigy is more than ready for such a challenge.
“I think Moses beats both of them. Obviously Daniel Dubois’ got that punch that could catch him, as has Fabio Wardley, but I just don’t think they’re good enough [to beat him].
“When you look at Itauma and his speed – his footwork, his combination punching… the power – he’s just very, very good.”
Gujarat Titans handed a maiden IPL appearance to young all-rounder Nishant Sindhu during their clash against Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Captain Shubman Gill confirmed the inclusion at the toss after opting to bowl first.Explaining the decision, Gill pointed to the team’s recent success while chasing and their desire to build on that rhythm. “We’ve been chasing well in the past few games, so we’ll continue with the momentum,” he said. He also reflected on the importance of finishing games strongly, praising Rahul Tewatia’s impact in the previous match. Gill added that the surface might offer early help for bowlers and stressed that the team is aiming to peak at the right stage of the tournament. “I think it’s all about peaking at the right time, and I feel our best game is yet to come. Nishant Sindhu makes his debut,” he confirmed.Sindhu, a talented all-rounder from Haryana, is known for his left-handed batting along with his slow left-arm orthodox bowling. He first rose to prominence during the 2018-19 U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy, where he amassed 572 runs and claimed 23 wickets, playing a decisive role in Haryana lifting the title.His progress continued at the international junior level, where he was part of India’s triumphant squad at the 2022 ICC Under-19 World Cup. During the tournament, he contributed in both departments, picking up six wickets in five matches and also scoring an important half-century.At the domestic level, Sindhu made his first-class debut in the 2022 Ranji Trophy and later featured in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His consistent performances earned him IPL contracts with Chennai Super Kings in 2023 and 2024, although he did not get an opportunity to play during those seasons.
Gujarat Titans won the toss and elected to bowl first against Punjab Kings as the playoff race begins to heat up.Explaining the decision, skipper Shubman Gill said his side wanted to stick to what has worked recently. “We are gonna bowl first. We have been chasing well in the past few games and our bowling is doing well, so will continue that momentum,” he noted, adding that the surface could offer something early on. Gill also pointed to the team peaking at the right time and praised the middle-order finishing, especially Rahul Tewatia’s recent efforts. He confirmed one change, with Nishant Sindhu coming in for his debut.Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, felt the pitch looked good for batting but with enough assistance for bowlers. “It looks beautiful, some grass on the wicket and some bounce considering it is black soil,” he observed. Iyer emphasised the challenges of a demanding schedule but maintained that his side remains focused. “It is not frustration, it is an intense league… it is just another game and we will put our best foot forward.” He also confirmed changes, with Xavier and Vyshak added to the bowling attack.Teams:
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar on RCB loss: ‘It was just one off day’
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh(w), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Nehal Wadhera, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra ChahalGujarat Titans (Playing XI): Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Manav SutharWith Gujarat Titans currently sitting fifth and pushing hard for a playoff spot, a win today could significantly boost their position, potentially drawing them level with the teams above. However, they face a tough test against table-toppers Punjab Kings, who have been one of the most consistent sides this season despite coming off a rare defeat in their last outing. All signs point to a high-stakes and closely fought contest.
Three years after these players had their dreams come true on draft day, their teams are now in a position where they have to decide on their futures. All first-round contracts are guaranteed for four seasons, but they also contain an option for the team to extend the player a fifth year, also fully guaranteed. And the decision on whether to do so had to be made by May 1.
In the space below, we’re going to track each of the first-round draft picks by whether they had their option picked up or declined, or whether they signed a contract extension with their team. As a reminder, there were only 31 picks in the first round of the 2023 draft because the Miami Dolphins forfeited their selection as punishment for violations of the league’s anti-tampering policy.
“Not the result, but a meaningful end” — D’Tigress wrap Up USA Tour
The D’Tigress have concluded their United States tour, which was designed to prepare the team for upcoming international competitions.
In their final game, Nigeria fell 105-57 to the Indiana Fever. It was a difficult outing, with the Fever controlling the game and getting a comfortable lead.
D’Tigress had earlier faced the Minnesota Lynx, losing 88-79 in a competitive game where they stayed close before falling away late.
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Their opening game of the tour was against the Los Angeles Sparks, where they were beaten 89-63.
Despite the results, the focus remains on growth and preparation. Reacting after the final game, the team shared:
“Not the result, but a meaningful end… D’Tigress close out their U.S. tour taking away loads of experience, exposure, and lessons that will shape what comes next.”
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