Notts Outlaws made it two wins from two in this season’s Vitality Blast, beating Warwickshire Bears by three wickets at Trent Bridge on Friday evening.

The final margin perhaps suggested a closer contest than many in the ground would have expected for large parts of the game. After restricting the Bears to 139 all out, the Outlaws looked well on course for a comfortable chase before a dramatic middle-order collapse allowed the visitors back into the contest. George Linde’s unbeaten 29 eventually guided Notts home with one ball remaining.

Having chosen to bowl first, Notts were made to wait for their first breakthrough. Warwickshire openers Rob Yates and Zen Malik started positively, taking the visitors to 54 without loss late in the powerplay. Malik was the more aggressive of the pair, striking 29 from 18 deliveries, while Yates added 23 from 19.

The opening partnership was eventually broken in the final over of the powerplay when Mohammad Ali found Jack Haynes on the boundary rope, and the innings quickly began to lose momentum. George Linde dismissed Malik seven balls later before Freddie McCann struck in his first over, trapping Dan Mousley lbw for one.

Those wickets left Warwickshire 60-3 and the visitors never really managed to regain the rhythm they had established during the opening six overs. Beau Webster and Ed Barnard attempted to rebuild, but scoring became increasingly difficult as Notts tightened their grip on the innings.

Linde was particularly economical, finishing with figures of 1-22 from his four overs, while Liam Patterson-White and McCann both contributed tidy spells through the middle overs. Webster briefly threatened to push the scoring rate upwards, launching Benny Howell for six at the start of the 11th over, but the all-rounder responded two balls later when Barnard edged through to Tom Moores.

The Bears reached 97-4 after 14 overs, but the closing stages belonged to the Outlaws. Dillon Pennington bowled Webster for 23 before Howell trapped Alex Davies lbw. Kai Smith provided some late resistance with 34 from 28 balls and cleared the ropes twice, but wickets continued to fall around him. Pennington bowled Jordan Thompson, Mohammad Ali removed both Chris Woakes and Richard Gleeson, and Smith eventually holed out to Freddie McCann as Warwickshire were dismissed for 139 in 19.3 overs.

On a surface where Trent Bridge totals can quickly escalate, the Outlaws would have been pleased with their work after Warwickshire’s opening stand had threatened something considerably larger.

The chase began in emphatic fashion as Joe Clarke struck consecutive boundaries from Chris Woakes in the opening over before Jack Haynes quickly took centre stage. The left-hander immediately found his range and was particularly severe on Jordan Thompson, whose first over disappeared for 20 runs. Haynes followed that by taking two sixes from Dan Mousley as the Outlaws raced through the powerplay.

Alongside George Munsey, Haynes helped Notts to 67-1 after six overs, with the pair bringing up a half-century partnership from just 22 deliveries. Haynes eventually made 36 from 17 balls, while Munsey settled into a supporting role at the other end as the required rate continued to fall.

At 72-1 in the eighth over, the chase appeared firmly under control. Instead, Warwickshire found a route back into the game through Rob Yates.

The off-spinner produced a remarkable spell, removing Haynes before bowling Tom Moores. He then claimed return catches to dismiss Freddie McCann and Munsey, leaving Notts 87-6 after 11.5 overs. When Beau Webster removed Benny Howell in the following over, the Bears suddenly had a chance in a game that had looked to be slipping away from them.

Liam Patterson-White and George Linde steadied things. Patterson-White made an important 20 from 14 deliveries, including a six off Yates, while Linde focused on keeping the scoreboard moving. A boundary off Richard Gleeson and a six over long-on from Dan Mousley helped ease the pressure as the target moved closer.

Patterson-White was eventually bowled by Usman Tariq with 22 still required, but Linde remained at the crease and ensured the collapse went no further. Warwickshire kept fighting until the end and Tariq conceded only two runs from the penultimate over, leaving Notts needing three from the final six balls.

The winning runs eventually arrived from the penultimate delivery of the match. Linde found an outside edge off Gleeson that raced away to the boundary, sealing a second successive Blast victory for the Outlaws.

There was plenty for Notts to take from the evening. Their bowling attack recovered impressively after Warwickshire’s strong start and looked in control for much of the first innings, while Haynes and Munsey’s powerplay assault put the chase on course. The middle-order collapse will give the Outlaws something to reflect on, but Linde’s calm finish ensured the evening ended with a second win on the bounce.

Ollie Stevenson

Featured image courtesy of Megan Paul-Thomas. No changes were made to this image.

The post Post Match Analysis: Thrilling Victory Gives Outlaws Momentum Boost appeared first on Impact Magazine.

The Blaze snatched victory against Warwickshire Bears from the jaws of defeat thanks to some sensational death bowling.

Defending a below-par 151, there were moments in the game where it felt like The Blaze were on the verge of handing their visitors a first victory of the season. The Bears kept pace with the run chase for most of the innings, but they were denied by some exceptional bowling at the death by captain Marie Kelly and Charley Phillips.

Defeat could have been catastrophic for the hosts. Last week’s disappointing loss to Durham saw them slump from second down to fifth in the Blast table, and with top four rivals Durham and Surrey both picking up maximum points, victory against the team rooted to the basement of the standings felt essential if they were to build any sort of momentum.

Despite the game almost running away from The Blaze, with Warwickshire only requiring 30 off the final four overs, the Nottingham based side recovered expertly to prevent impending defeat and instead secure all four points.

Maria Andrews began the fightback with a superb catch when Charis Pavely tried to ramp Phillips’ delivery to the boundary. Tidy bowling then limited the visitor’s progress, before Kelly took the key wicket of Meg Austin to end the 21-year-old’s blistering 74 from 51.

Any momentum the visitors had vanished when Austin left the field. From then on runs proved hard to come by, as the final seven balls only went for four. Phillips then had the final say by dislodging Natasha Wraith, and this scintillating bowling is a positive that The Blaze can build up

However, after a disappointing collapse on the batting side that left Warwickshire with an easily attainable tally, The Blaze can consider themselves slightly fortunate to emerge victorious from this game.

A phenomenal start from their opening batters saw experienced pair Kelly and Tammy Beaumont take 52 for the first wicket. Then, for the second game in a row, The Blaze fell apart once their stars were dismissed.

Charli Knott was bowled for 11, while Georgia Elwiss and Ella Claridge were both caught and bowled by Georgia Davis and Hannah Baker respectively for a combined tally of 12.

Suddenly, a commanding position of 52-0 had capitulated into 78-5 within 11 overs, leaving The Blaze in trouble.

Emma Jones and Lucy Higham came to the crease and steadied the ship, standing for a partnership of 50 before Jones was trapped LBW, but when Higham fell two balls later the momentum shifted back in the Bears’ favour.

Two fours from Grace Ballinger added a little bit of challenge to the Bears’ chase, sufficiently so that the tally proved unmatchable, but the hosts will have been disappointed to end the innings with 151.

Posting a figure two runs shy of the tally that was unsuccessfully defended last week is never ideal. The Blaze now have to figure out how to rectify their frequent batting collapses ahead of pivotal against Lancashire and Essex before the end of the month.

Fortunately, on this occasion they got away with it. After being bailed out by some superb bowling at the end of the innings, a win is a win, and it’s enough to send them back into the top four. That’s all they need to do to get to finals day, where the 2024 Charlotte Edwards Cup champions know better than anyone that anything can happen.

Kian Gadsby

Featured Image courtesy of Jack Lemming. No changes were made to this image.

The post Post Match Analysis: Brilliant Death Bowling Bails Blaze Out appeared first on Impact Magazine.

Notts Outlaws earned an enthralling low-scoring victory against Warwickshire Bears to continue their climb up the T20 Blast standings.

A sensational display from the Outlaws’ bowling attack, spearheaded by Mohammed Ali and Dillon Pennington, dismissed Warwickshire for 139 all out and set the stage for a simple chase for the Notts batters.

Notts started firmly in control of proceedings, before a middle-order collapse threatened to turn the tide. However, the Outlaws steadied themselves and rallied to eventually complete their target with one ball to spare.  

In a match that seesawed back and forth, the Bears, who came into the game winless from their opening four matches, enjoyed an impressive start to their batting innings after Notts won the toss. Their first wicket stood for 54 before Rob Yates was caught by Jack Haynes while attempting to hit Mohammed Ali’s delivery over the boundary.

From there, they descended into chaos. Zen Malik was caught by Ali off Linde’s bowling six balls later, before the dismissals of Dan Mousley and Ed Bernard saw their solid platform crumble to 75-4.

Although the rate of the wickets temporarily slowed, Warwickshire had experienced too much change to deal with the brilliance of the Notts attack and struggled to rack up runs as a consequence.

Dillon Pennington then got the party started again for the home outfit when he sent the stumps cartwheeling to remove Beau Webster, and, after Benny Howell pinned Alex Davies LBW, Pennington repeated the trick with a second lovely no movement yorker to get Jordan Thompson.

Ali then stole the show, with sublime full-length deliveries sending the wickets of Chris Woakes and Richard Gleeson flying. The damage of the innings had been done by this point, and although a late boundary extended the Outlaws’ target, top scorer Kai Smith was dismissed for 34 to draw their innings to an early conclusion.

Notts set the tone for their reply immediately, with Clarke picking up fours from each of the first two deliveries off England international Chris Woakes.

Although Clarke was quickly out, Jack Haynes replaced him at the crease and thumped six boundaries, including back-to-back sixes, from the first 18 balls he faced. That should have been enough to alleviate any concerns the home faithful had about their side’s ability to chase the target, and the required tally dropped below a run-a-ball after only seven overs.

However, a comfortable victory did not transpire, as Haynes, Tom Moores, Howell, Freddie McCann and George Munsey all fell within four overs.

Suddenly, the Outlaws’ position of complete dominance had become very precarious.

George Linde and Liam Patterson-White took their places at the crease and emphatically stepped up to the pressure. Patterson-White smashed three boundaries on his way to 20 from 14, and although he was dismissed by Usman Tariq, Olly Stone came in and helped South African international Linde to see out the victory.

It’s a second consecutive win for the Outlaws, one that keeps them in contention to finish in the top two. They host Derbyshire in a must-win game on Sunday 7^th June, with the victor placing themselves in prime position to clinch a place in the Blast knockouts.

Kian Gadsby

Featured image courtesy of Megan Paul-Thomas. No changes were made to this image.

The post Report: Scintillating Bowling Attack Helps Outlaws to Nervy Victory Over Warwickshire appeared first on Impact Magazine.

The Blaze snatched a dramatic victory against the Warwickshire Bears to shake off final’s day heartbreak despite middle order collapse. The result put them third in the table with a chance of Finals day still on the horizon.

After being put into bat by Warwickshire, The Blaze made a strong start through Marie Kelly and Tammy Beaumont, reaching 52 without loss inside the first five overs before a sharp middle-order collapse left them relying on Emma Jones, Lucy Higham and Grace Ballinger to drag the innings to 151/7.

The opening over was quiet, with Alexa Stonehouse conceding only two from the Stuart Broad End, but The Blaze quickly accelerated as Warwickshire struggled for control with the new ball. Mary Taylor’s first over cost 11, helped by five wides, before Stonehouse was taken for 15 in the third as Kelly struck two boundaries and Beaumont added another.

The most expensive over of the powerplay came from Charis Pavely, whose first and only over went for 18. Kelly took full advantage, hitting three fours in the over, while five more wides pushed The Blaze to 46 without loss after four. At that point, Kelly had moved to 28 from 19 balls and The Blaze looked well placed to post a score well beyond 160.

Warwickshire’s first breakthrough came in the fifth over when Taylor bowled Kelly for 29 from 22 balls. Kelly’s innings, which included five fours, had given The Blaze early momentum, but her dismissal at 52/1 started a very different phase of the innings.

The Blaze still ended the powerplay in a strong position at 61/1, with Charli Knott hitting two boundaries off Amu Surenkumar’s first over. However, Warwickshire quickly pulled the game back through Hannah Baker and Georgia Davis, who took control of the middle overs.

Baker struck first, bowling Beaumont for 10 from 10 balls in the seventh over. Davis then removed Knott for 11 in the following over, before dismissing Georgia Elwiss for eight with a caught-and-bowled in the 10th. When Baker also had Ella Claridge caught and bowled for four in the 11th over, The Blaze had slipped from 52/0 to 78/5, losing five wickets for just 26 runs.

That collapse was the main reason The Blaze’s final total felt below what their start had promised. Baker finished with excellent figures of 2/19 from her four overs, while Davis was Warwickshire’s standout bowler with 3/23. Between them, they stopped The Blaze from turning a fast start into a dominant first-innings score.

Emma Jones and Lucy Higham then rebuilt the innings with the most important partnership of the Blaze innings. Coming together at 78/5, they added 50 from 37 balls for the sixth wicket, giving The Blaze enough stability to avoid falling well short of a defendable total.

Jones was the more aggressive of the pair, making 32 from 22 balls with five fours. Her scoring rate was important because The Blaze had gone several overs without the same fluency they had shown in the powerplay. Higham made 19 from 19, playing a steadier supporting role as the pair took the score from 78/5 to 128/5.

Warwickshire struck again late on when Taylor trapped Jones lbw in the 17th over, before Davis picked up her third wicket when Higham was caught by Taylor for 19 at the start of the 18th. At 130/7, The Blaze were in danger of finishing closer to 140 than 150.

Grace Ballinger’s late contribution proved important. She finished unbeaten on 17 from 13 balls, hitting two fours and helping The Blaze take 18 runs from the final two overs. Prisha Thanawala also ended not out on five, as The Blaze closed on 151/7 from their 20 overs.

Given they had been 52 without loss after 4.5 overs and 61/1 after the powerplay, 151/7 felt like a total Warwickshire would have believed they could chase. But after the collapse through the middle overs, the late runs from Jones, Higham and Ballinger at least gave The Blaze something to defend.

The Blaze started strongly, with Grace Ballinger’s first over with the new ball from the Stuart Broad End going for just three. Charley Phillips was then taken for 11 in the second, including a lovely, lofted drive from Meg Austin, but The Blaze quickly managed to pin the Bears back through successive tight overs from Charley Knott, Ballinger and Phillips.

That pressure told in the fifth over, when Georgia Elwiss struck with just her second ball, taking out Abbey Freeborn’s leg stump for the first wicket of the game. With only three runs coming from the over, The Blaze ended the powerplay having restricted the Bears to 37/1, leaving them in good shape to defend what had looked a below-par total.

However, it was already clear that tight bowling alone would not be enough. There was always a sense that, without regular wickets, The Blaze would struggle to keep the required rate under control for the full chase.

Around the 10-over mark, the Bears batters began to come into their own and briefly threatened to take the game away from the East Midlands outfit. Maria Andrews bowled a loose full toss which was dispatched for the first six of the evening, and that seemed to be the catalyst the Bears needed to properly kick-start the chase. Andrews went for 11, before Elwiss was then hit for 12 from her six balls, including a lovely six which brought up Austin’s half-century.

The Blaze earned themselves a temporary respite when Ballinger returned for her third over and removed Georgie Redmayne, who sliced a hook to Beaumont at backward point. But the relief was short-lived. Some fielding chaos in the 14th over led to overthrows and summed up the messy middle period of both innings for The Blaze.

The Bears added 28 from the next three overs, with Charis Pavely and Austin batting smartly and keeping the chase alive. It was only at the death that the Bears began to fall apart, and The Blaze regained their composure.

Pavely tried to work one through the gap at short fine leg, but miscued it to Andrews, who took an excellent diving catch. At 126/3 after 17 overs, the Bears were still in the contest, but the momentum was beginning to shift.

A comparatively tight 18th over left the visitors needing 20 to win, and when Austin fell in the 19th after a miscued drive, the hopes of a successful run chase – and a maiden victory – seemed to fall with her.

A wicket with the third ball of the final over effectively wrapped up the game for The Blaze: a side who, once again, started and finished strongly, but looked vulnerable through the middle overs.

Ollie Stevenson

Featured image courtesy of Kian Gadsby. No changes were made to this image.

The post Report: The Blaze Defeat Still-Winless Bears by 11 runs Despite Austin Career-Best Heroics appeared first on Impact Magazine.

Notts Outlaws bowler Dillon Pennington described his teams’ upcoming sequence of two home fixtures as, “A really exciting weekend,” with the Outlaws looking to establish a run of form and climb up the table.

The Outlaws had made a disappointing start to their Blast season, with three damaging losses at the hands of Yorkshire Vikings, Lancashire Lightning and Derbyshire Falcons leaving them rooted to the foot of the North group table.

However, they recovered excellently in their most recent game to thrash Durham and move to within touching distance of the leadership group.

With pivotal home fixtures against Warwickshire Bears and the return game against Derbyshire to come in front of a tenacious home support, Notts know that they have a chance to strike and establish themselves in contention to book their place in the quarter finals.

Indeed, Pennington felt that this weekend gives the team a chance to build the run of form the 2020 Blast champions need to propel themselves towards the title yet again.

“I think we’ve got a really good opportunity with two games at home, two big games. It’s big for our position in the table, and for moving forward and gaining momentum into that second half [of the group stage]. It’s a really exciting weekend.

“Friday night at Trent Bridge, lights on, it’s unbelievable when the crowd get behind you and we’re on top. Then we’ve got Sunday afternoon to finish the block, so it’s such a good weekend to be part of.”

Pennington himself played a key part in Notts getting off the mark last time out. He bowled Durham opener Graham Clark out with the opening delivery, before limiting the visitors to 24 from his three overs.

Although it was a performance that was slightly overshadowed by the magnificent batting display of George Munsey, who finished the game with an unbeaten 88, Pennington was pleased with his personal display and hopes to carry the form over into the coming matches.

“Hopefully we can be really clear, all bowl like we did against Durham, and take that forward into the next couple of games.

“I think Freddie’s [McCann] done well, and George Munsey did so well to bat through the innings and play the way that he did. Everyone has chipped in so far, so hopefully it’s a complete performance tomorrow, where all the batters chip in and then us as bowlers all do our jobs as well.”

Kian Gadsby

Featured image courtesy of Mark Dunn. No changes were made to this image.

The post “We’ve Got a Really Good Opportunity with Two Games at Home” – Outlaws’ Dillon Pennington Previews Critical Weekend appeared first on Impact Magazine.

Emma Jones emphasised that despite coming into their encounter as favourites, The Blaze could not underestimate Warwickshire Bears when they clash at Trent Bridge in the Blast.

After enjoying a perfect record of three wins from their opening three, including a win at Warwickshire, the Blaze fell to defeat at home to Durham last time out. That result saw them drop out of the top four, and with a place at finals day on the line, they will be desperate to return to winning ways.

They have the perfect opportunity to do so when they take on a winless Warwickshire Bears side. However, speaking to the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club media team at Trent Bridge ahead of The Blaze’s game against Warwickshire, Jones made it clear that her team should not take previous results or the league table as any kind of guarantee of victory, and that they should be prepared for a challenging affair.

“That (the first meeting between the two sides) was obviously our first game with a different team as well, so it perhaps won’t be as much of a change as when we play Lancashire at the weekend. I think, though, even though we ended up on the right side of the result, we know they’re not one to underestimate. We have to make sure we’re doing the things that we want to do well, and it wasn’t a perfect game for us. We’ll be taking learnings from that, and we’ll be trying to be really clinical and do it even better this time.”

Having suffered their first defeat of the season last time out, The Blaze know they need to improve and refine their performances. However, Jones remained optimistic about their chances of doing so and feels that the learning points will give them the opportunity to kick on and improve over the season.

“We had a less-than-ideal game the other day, but it’s a different group than the one we’re used to. I think, like the Yorkshire game in the 50-over competition, it will give us a kick to go on and keep winning.”

Despite the score, Jones herself played well in the game against Durham. She took her first wicket for The Blaze by getting Mady Villiers out on 47, before following it up by bowling Emily Windsor in the same over.

Although that effort was in vein, Jones was pleased with her performance, but made it clear that she hopes to have her team on the winning side in this upcoming encounter.

“Yeah, I’m feeling good. I’d not bowled in a couple of games before Durham, and it was good to get my first couple of Blaze wickets. Of course, it was obviously nice to be able to put in a performance with both skills, but to me, it matters a lot more when you end up on the right side of the result. So yes, I’m happy with how I’ve done, but I’m thinking ‘how can I be even more clinical and get us on the right side of the result?’”

Kian Gadsby

Featured image courtesy of Tim Meakin. No changes were made to this image.

The post “We Know They’re Not One to Underestimate” – Emma Jones Gives Thoughts Ahead of Warwickshire Clash appeared first on Impact Magazine.

A batting masterclass from Scotland international George Munsey saw Notts Outlaws upset Durham to pick up a critical first Blast victory of the season.

The off-season signing produced a sensational display to help the Outlaws chase down 156, with his unbeaten 88 off 52 guiding his team to a commanding victory with 16 deliveries to spare.

After winning the toss and electing to start with the ball, Notts started the game perfectly with wicket-keeper Tom Moores catching Graham Clark for a golden duck.

Two overs later, skipper Alex Lees was out to a brilliant catch from Joe Clarke, and things got even better for the Outlaws before the end of the powerplay when David Bedingham and Ben Raine fell on consecutive deliveries. Durham ended the opening phase 67-4, in dire straights thanks to Notts’ phenomenal bowling attack.

The wickets slowed after that, but crucially, so did the runs. No Durham batter was able to establish any long-term momentum at the crease, with Ollie Robinson, Colin Ackermann and Will Rhodes all enduring strike rates below 150.

A final tally of 156 felt particularly chaseable, and the low score allowed Munsey to show his class. A sensational display of boundary hitting helped the left-handed opener to cause chaos and survive the entire innings.

He completed his first Outlaws half-century from 30 deliveries, helping Notts reach halfway in their innings at 93-2, before hitting consecutive sixes to bring the tally even closer.

At the other end of the pitch, a solid stand of 32 off 33 deliveries from Freddie McCann helped limit Durham’s damage to the Outlaws lineup. His contribution almost took Notts right to the very end, and although he and Moores were both out on consecutive deliveries, George Linde was able to come in and see out the game with a boundary.

The result is a pivotal one for the Outlaws, who would have seen their Finals Day hopes slip further away with yet another defeat. They follow this up with a game against the winless Warwickshire Bears, with yet another opportunity at home to build some momentum and push back up the table.

Kian Gadsby

Featured image courtesy of Jack Lemming. No changes were made to this image.

The post Report: Munsey Stars as Outlaws Beat Durham for First Blast Victory appeared first on Impact Magazine.

The Blaze suffered their first defeat of the season as Durham produced a comfortable seven wicket victory to end their perfect start.

England international Mady Villiers produced an exceptional display to take the game away from the hosts, taking 3 wickets to limit Notts to 153 in the first innings before posting 47 to help Durham comfortably chase down their target with five balls to spare.

The Blaze lost the toss but made a great start to their first innings by taking 10 runs off the opening over. They continued their momentum to end the powerplay 67-2, and, despite losing the wicket of Australian all-rounder Charli Knott for 14, more runs continued to flow for the host as The Blaze reached the halfway stage 91-3.

After that, the innings capitulated. Abigail Glen bowled Ella Claridge, before Georgia Elwiss saw her knock of 31 ended by Trudy Johnson. Further quick wickets saw the Midlands side slip to 137-7

They ended their innings 153 all out, with Grace Billinger falling on the penultimate delivery.

This always felt like a simple tally for Durham to chase, and it proved to be too little for The Blaze to defend.

The visitors made light work of the chase. Openers Villiers and skipper Hollie Armitage made it through the first half of the innings with 83 runs between them. Emma Jones restored some hope in the 11^th over when she ended Villiers’s game before taking the wicket of Emily Windsor, but her efforts were in vain as the runs kept coming for Durham.

In the end, it was former Blaze star Heather Graham who put the final nail in the Blaze’s defeat. The Australian secured the win with a brilliant four off Elwiss to put the game to bed and confirm a disappointing defeat for The Blaze.

It’s a result that ruins the Blaze’s perfect record at the top of the Women’s Blast table, with the hosts dropping down to fifth in the table despite a record of three wins from their opening four matches.

They will be hoping to return to winning ways and continue their ascent up the table when they take on the winless Warwickshire Bears on Friday 5^th June.

Kian Gadsby and Jack Lemming

Featured image courtesy of Jack Lemming. No changes were made to this image.

The post Report: Blaze Lose Unbeaten Streak After Durham Thrashing appeared first on Impact Magazine.

At around 12:30 am, somewhere between my third coffee, second sandwich, and the first unmistakable signs of exhaustion, it dawned on me that I was witnessing a side of broadcast journalism that audiences seldom see.

The May local election results had begun to emerge from counting centres up and down the country – I clocked the first result at around 12:29. Those still awake at this hour – the dedicated political junkies watching from home – saw reporters deliver live updates, presenters dissect the numbers, and graphics constantly update seamlessly as the political map began to shift. Yet, unlike those watching from home, I was spending the night inside the BBC’s hub, the heart of the organisation’s election coverage.

It was hectic, highly-caffeinated and, for a young person hoping to work in the industry, genuinely fascinating.

For nine hours, I sat behind the scenes of the world’s most recognisable broadcasting organisation and watched election-night journalism unfold in real time. It was hectic, highly caffeinated and, for a young person hoping to work in the industry, genuinely fascinating.

The ‘hub’ resembled less a traditional newsroom than a military command centre. Rows of desks faced a vast wall of screens that displayed live feeds from teams on the ground across the country, constantly refreshing election data, and rolling footage from other broadcasters. The room hummed with a kind of controlled urgency that is hard to describe but immediately felt – punctuated by ringing phones, murmured conversations, and the persistent audio of guests debating one another on the live feed.

For most people, election coverage starts when the broadcast starts; however, for those inside the hub, what viewers see is but the visible tip of an enormous operational iceberg that had already been running for hours – and would continue for many more well after most of the country had gone to bed.

He essentially spent the night acting as a conductor of sorts, ensuring that dozens of moving parts all stayed in sync.

The editor who guided me through the night and into the early hours of the morning was Tim Burke, and watching him work was, without question, one of the most compelling parts of the experience. He essentially spent the night acting as a conductor of sorts, ensuring that dozens of moving parts all stayed in sync. One moment saw him checking results; the next he was on the phone to a reporter on the ground, warning them that they would be live in two minutes. What struck me most was the sheer precision involved. Election coverage is easily associated with dramatic declarations and breaking-news moments. In reality, the bulk of the work consisted of countless small decisions made in rapid succession, each one under pressure, each one with consequences. Which reporter should go on air next? Is that result confirmed? Can the correspondent make it to the correct position before the camera cuts to them?

Every answer mattered, and Tim’s role brought this into sharp focus. Whilst those at home saw polished correspondents deliver confident updates from counting centres, he was busy managing the operation from behind the screen, keeping track of myriad reporters and ensuring that the coverage was coordinated as new results arrived. It was a vivid illustration of something that I had not fully grasped before: that live broadcasting depends as much – perhaps more – on the people behind the camera as those in front of it.

there was a particular kind of focused energy – concentration threaded through with good humour, people getting on with an exceptionally demanding job and, by all appearances, enjoying it.

The atmosphere throughout the night was intense, but not dramatic in the way that outsiders might imagine. (Though I  cannot help but imagine what it’s like during a general election!) During the time that I was there – late Thursday night through to early Friday morning – there were no theatrical declarations of “breaking news”, nor any scenes worthy of a political thriller. Instead, there was a particular kind of focused energy – concentration threaded through with good humour, people getting on with an exceptionally demanding job and, by all appearances, enjoying it. Election nights, after all, are marathons rather than sprints, and by the small hours, the evidence of that was everywhere.

Caffeine, unsurprisingly, was the fuel of choice. Cups of coffee and tea occupied many surfaces; some staff had wrapped themselves in blankets to fend off the night’s chill. A few had that particular look – as anyone who has pulled an all-nighter can attest to – of someone running on adrenaline and institutional pride. The pressure was as real as the sense of purpose.

Despite the long night, morale never faltered, which perhaps is not that surprising. The stakes of the work are clear on a night like this. The people in the hub are responsible for delivering information to millions of people across the country – people who are relying on organisations like the BBC to make sense of a complex world. That fact never escaped me, even as an observer.

In our fast-paced world, audiences consume news at such speed that rarely do viewers stop to consider the logistical effort required to make those moments happen.

For a young person hoping to enter journalism, this was undoubtedly the most fascinating aspect of the experience.

Journalism can appear to be an individual pursuit: a reporter chases a story, a presenter delivers the news, a headline is written. Election night showed me that the opposite was true. Broadcasting and collaboration go hand-in-hand. Spending a night inside the BBC’s election operation showed how the visible figures of the media depend on an army of people working behind the scenes.

To those on the outside, this army is invisible. In our fast-paced world, audiences consume news at such speed that rarely do viewers stop to consider the logistical effort required to make those moments happen. However, that invisibility is, in some respects, a sign of success. It shows that the coverage went smoothly, the technology worked, the reporters appeared on cue, and the information was accurate. Ultimately, the machinery disappears behind the finished product.

By the time I left just after 5 am, stepping out into the early morning quiet with a mild caffeine headache and a head full of impressions, I had a new and lasting appreciation for the complexity of live news. The election coverage that appeared on screen, looking as effortless as it did, was anything but. The smoothness was earned – the product of preparation, expertise, coordination, and a room full of people who cared about getting it right.

Behind every live reporter was a producer making a phone call. Behind every result was a team of fact-checkers. Behind every broadcast was a room full of people fuelled by caffeine, commitment, and, most importantly, a passion for politics.

Most people will probably never see this side of journalism. But for one long, absorbing, amazing night, I did.

Oscar McKevitt Flack

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Qatari state-owned Paris Saint-Germain won their second consecutive Champions League trophy after a penalty shoot-out victory over recently crowned Premier League champions Arsenal.

In doing so, PSG raised a question an important question. Has sportswashing worked?

The game was defined by an early breakaway goal from Kai Havertz, which set the tone for a predictable affair of attack versus defence, in which Arsenal achieved the lowest possession for a finalist on record.

The best defence in Europe contained PSG’s attacking flair for much of the match before conceding from Ballon D’or winner Ousmane Dembele’s penalty, after Christian Mosquera brought Khvicha Kvaratskhelia down in the area.

With the tie level after 120 minutes, Arsenal’s Gabriel was the unfortunate penalty villain in a shootout that swung in both directions.

Critics have taken aim at Mikel Arteta’s side for their defensive tactics and set-piece reliance throughout this season. In 14 of Arsenal’s 26 Premier League wins, a set piece goal has either been the opening of the tie or the winner.

In contrast, it is hard to dispute a team with the attacking talent of Dembele, Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué, accompanied by midfield maestros Vitinha and João Neves, is not good on the eye.

Luis Enrique’s expressive and watchable football is played on the front foot – the antithesis of Arsenal’s safety-first mindset.

The style is significant. Luis Enrque’s mesmerising and exciting football has the power to redirect attention. Fans and media alike quickly forget the off-field antics that have facilitated this European success.

Sportswashing is the process of using sport to improve a nation’s international reputation.

Sport is an effective method for reputational management through its universal cultural reach and emotional resonance across nationality, gender, class and age.

Not only have the Ligue 1 Champions rotated heavily domestically – Dembele has only started 11 Ligue 1 matches – in a season streamlined on repeating last year’s continental success, PSG’s president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s actions can become obscured by the emergence of a footballing style that global fans love to watch and pundits love to applaud.

Following PSG’s defeat to eventual winners Real Madrid in the 2020-2021 Champions League, Al-Khelaifi allegedly assaulted an assistant referee and threatened a Madrid employee with murder. Although a UEFA investigation found the club guilty of “violating the basic rules of decent conduct,” Al-Khelaifi, sitting as a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, faced no sanctions.

In 2023, Al-Khelaifi was accused by Franco-Algerian lobbyist, Tayeb Benabderrahmane, of kidnapping, unlawful detention and torture. Al-Khelaifi denied all allegations and himself claimed to be the victim of blackmail. Nonetheless, three senior French judges deemed the evidence sufficient to formally open a judicial investigation.

Although not an admission of guilt, this is a significant threshold in the French legal system.

The case becomes more severe within the context of Qatar’s response. A Doha criminal court subsequently sentenced Benabderrahmane to death in absentia for “intelligence with a foreign power.” The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention later deemed his detention in Qatar had been unlawful, citing failures in due process and allegations of ill-treatment and torture.   

These two examples are in addition to Al-Khelaifi being charged with corruption over Qatari bids to host the World Athletics Championships.

Al-Khelaifi has been part of the Qatari government since 2013 and chairs Qatari Sports Investments which states that “revenue generated” from international ventures is to be “reinvested into Qatar’s sport, leisure and entertainment sectors to benefit the community as a whole.”

Accusations of sportswashing have been directed towards Men’s FIFA World Cups in Russia, Qatar, the United States and the decision to host in Saudi Arabia. However, PSG’s victories have received comparatively little of that scrutiny.

A state-owned club, whose chairman faces judicial scrutiny in a foreign nation, has just won the most prestigious club competition in the world to global celebration. Whether through rivalry or style of play, the masses flocked to cheer on a side that directly benefits the Qatari government – a government that according to Amnesty International maintains “tight restrictions on freedom of expression” and where many marginalised groups continue to “face systemic discrimination.”

PSG toe a fine line between on-field likeability and off-filed controversy. The club’s attacking identity generates genuine goodwill and Arsenal’s reliance on set pieces and defensive structure, fairly or not, alienates many of the neutral viewers PSG attract.

PSG’s generated goodwill performs something maybe more important than trophies: normalisation.

Normalisation for a state that remains under international scrutiny may be the most important victory of all.

Charlie Wood

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