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If Tottenham Hotspur are to conduct further business in the transfer market this month it is probable that focus will be on adding to the midfield ranks, with Ange Postecoglou wrapping up deals elsewhere last week.

Spurs' lack of defensive options have been a key talking point throughout the Premier League campaign thus far but this quandary has been relieved through the £25m signing of Genoa centre-half Radu Dragusin – with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both fit again, there is hope that the issue is now put to bed.

Likewise, a loan deal for versatile forward Timo Werner with an option to buy for £15m was completed last Wednesday with Heung-min Son absent at the Asia Cup with South Korea.

Before the January transfer window opened for business two weeks ago, Postecoglou is understood to have conferred with chairman Daniel Levy and requested a defender, winger and midfielder.

Well, two areas of concern have been addressed, and now there are two weeks to prowl the market and find a midfielder to improve the club's prospects for the upcoming months of football.

Spurs' search for a midfielder

It's well-known that Spurs have held an interest in Chelsea star Conor Gallagher for some time now, with the England international reportedly transfer-listed for £50m this January as the Stamford Bridge side seek to balance the books ahead of a lucrative bid for a new centre-forward.

But after investing elsewhere, it's unlikely that Levy will cough up such a sum at the season's midpoint, regardless of the absences of Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma who are both at the African Cup of Nations.

Therefore, it appears Tottenham have earmarked the perfect alternative in Wolverhampton Wanderers titan Joao Gomes, with the Brazilian star reportedly available for around €35m (£30m) this winter.

Brazilian reports – via Sport Witness – have recently revealed that the London club have signalled that they will make a 'substantial' approach for Gomes in the coming weeks, considered the frontrunners for his signature.

Joao Gomes' style of play

Wolves signed Gomes from Brasileiro Serie A side Flamengo for £15m in January 2023 and he has gone from strength to strength since arriving on English shores, starting seven matches across the second half of the 2022/23 campaign before now playing a prominent role under Gary O'Neil.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, the 22-year-old has featured on 18 occasions in the Premier League this season, completing 83% of his passes, making a key pass every other game, averaging 3.2 tackles and 5.9 ball recoveries per game and winning 60% of his dribbles and 62% of his aerial battles.

This kind of all-encompassing mettle in the middle has led him to earn the moniker of "The Pitbull" – as per The Athletic's Steve Madeley – with little doubt that his natural qualities would translate well to life at Tottenham.

It would be pleasing for the powers that be at Spurs for the player in question to sharpen up his ball-playing skills somewhat, but then it's important to remember that it is much harder to retain possession with the same precision for teams competing lower down the division.

As per FBref, the Rio de Janeiro native ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles and the top 8% for blocks made per 90, punctuating his reputation as a tough, fear-inducing presence in the centre of the park.

Premier League 23/24: Most Tackles Won

Player

Club

Apps

Tackles

Joao Palhinha

Fulham

18 (1)

90

Vinicius Souza

Sheffield United

19 (1)

66

Pedro Porro

Tottenham Hotspur

20

61

Joao Gomes

Wolverhampton Wanderers

17 (1)

57

Conor Gallagher

Chelsea

20

54

*Sourced via premierleague.com

Postecoglou does, of course, already boast a tough-tackling titan of merit in Yves Bissouma, but the Malian has missed five matches in the English top-flight already this term due to suspension and it's perhaps wise that plans are being drawn up to sign Gomes, who can contest for the No. 1 spot.

Given his commitment to protecting the backline and ensuring that the midfield battle is tipped in Tottenham's favour, Gomes could also prove to be the perfect partner for dynamic ace Rodrigo Bentancur, who would bounce off the Brazilian's style with remarkable effectiveness.

Imagine Joao Gomes & Rodrigo Bentancur

Bentancur is fit and firing once again after recovering from a dour year on a personal level, ravaged by injuries and consequently only starting twice in the English top flight from February 2023 to New Year's Eve.

But now with successive starts and a goal against Manchester United last time out, the Uruguayan star looks to be returning to his zenith and will play a pivotal role with his complete skill set over the coming months, regarded as "technically immense" by broadcaster Adam Smith.

Rodrigo Bentancur: Key Characteristics

Strengths

Weaknesses

Passing

Discipline

Tackling

Blocking

Intercepting

*Sourced via WhoScored

Ranking among the top 2% of midfielders for goals, the top 7% for blocks, the top 8% for clearances and the top 20% for tackles forged per 90, Bentancur combines the facets to perfection and is a fearsome foe for surging opponents.

These qualities would only be taken to the next level if allowed to find a partnership with Gomes, who could ease Bentancur's defensive burden somewhat and allow him to surge up the pitch and showcase his offensive skills.

Of course, the Lilywhites machine already has a defensive midfielder of some standing in Bissouma but, as said earlier, he has not exactly evoked confidence in his ability to avoid suspensions this season and it would be a prudent move to sign a similar player who can challenge for the No. 1 spot – especially with Spurs pushing to return to European competition next term, increasing the workload.

Gomes would not come cheap but he would be a viable alternative to other targets such as Gallagher, and Levy and co must push ahead to get this one over the line this month, handing his squad the tools to craft a truly fantastic end to the campaign.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo chegou sob protesto ao estádio Major Levy Sobrinho, em Limeira, onde joga, nesta quarta-feira (3), contra a Inter de Limeira pela segunda rodada do Paulistão. Na recepção ao Tricolor, torcedores chamaram o time de ‘sem vergonha’ e também atiraram pipocas no ônibus da delegação.

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O São Paulo estreou com um empate diante do Botafogo-SP, no último domingo (28), no Morumbi. A partida marcou a estreia do treinador Hernán Crespo no comando da equipe.

Após uma temporada decepcionante em 2020, na qual o Tricolor liderou o Brasileirão com sete pontos de vantagem mas despencou nas rodadas finais até a quarta colocação, ainda mais com eliminações nas copas, os protestos passaram a fazer parte da rotina do time.

Entre protestos e manifestações de torcedores, um ato foi marcado por sua violência, quando o ônibus da delegação foi atacado com pedras e rojões no caminho para o Morumbi, antes da partida contra o Coritiba.

Além dos ataques ao veículo, foram encontradas bombas nos arredores do local da emboscada. Ao todo, catorze indivíduos foram presos em flagrante, e 15 pessoas foram denunciadas pelo Ministério Público por um total de cinco crimes.

Mir Hamza takes four wickets in second innings but Northamptonshire prove stubborn

Jon Culley at Wantage Road23-May-2019

Mir Hamza bowled tight lines but found no reward•AFP

It has been a tough start to the season for Northamptonshire, who had a chastening time in the 50-overs matches and came back to four-day cricket to be beaten effectively in three by Lancashire last week. Apart from the first session of the first day, they were behind in this game throughout, so to emerge with a draw will feel like a triumph of sorts.Sussex led by 346 overnight but did not declare, adding 47 more in a four-over flurry that left a target for the home side of 394 in a round 90 overs minimum, which was a hefty demand but, with batsmen well attuned these days to scoring quickly, not so forbidding that Northamptonshire would not fancy themselves a little bit.But the balance shifted away from them in two major lurches during the afternoon session.After the early loss of Ricardo Vasconcelos, who nicked a textbook away-swinger from Mir Hamza into the hands of Philip Salt at third slip, Josh Cobb and Ben Curran had built a fairly sturdy platform by lunch, one down for 104.Successful fourth-innings targets on the scale of this one rarely happen; indeed, only once in Northamptonshire’s history, on this ground in 2010, when Stephen Peters made what was then a career-best 183 not out and a target of 394 to beat Middlesex was reached.As the players re-emerged into the afternoon sun, there might have been a few home supporters wondering if something similar could happen, but such imaginings were beginning to seem more fanciful when Hamza’s post-lunch spell claimed wickets in its second and fourth overs.These setbacks might have raised fewer groans had they not been somewhat self-inflicted. Curran, who had played with careful application for his 29 before lunch as Cobb led the scoring, undid all that with an airy waft outside off stump, offering Ben Brown a routine catch. Cobb then succumbed to an awful misjudgment, shouldering arms to a ball he plainly believed would pass by only for it to swing back and knock down his exposed off stump.Cobb made 62 and 68 in the game, which was not bad given that he was in the side only because of Alex Wakely’s domestic mishap on the first evening. He knows it could have been more both times.Much seemed to rest now on Temba Bavuma, in the second match of his stay here. He did not make the impact he would have liked on his debut against Lancashire at Old Trafford last week, where Northamptonshire were soundly beaten, but here was a situation in which to make a name for himself. As those before him had demonstrated, there were no demons in the pitch, even after four days of sunshine, and there were runs to be had quickly against a Sussex attack lacking the injured Ollie Robinson, in which only Hamza had been consistently tight.An experienced batsman now, with 36 Tests for South Africa on his CV since his historic debut in 2014, Bavuma’s first scoring shot was a gorgeous cover drive for four off Hamza. Rob Keogh, his new partner after Cobb’s demise, has been in good form. Perhaps there was still room for a little optimism among the fourth-day stalwarts.It was pretty much gone, though, after one over accounted for both of them midway through the session. Unlike Hamza, Chris Jordan had been impressive only occasionally (in his bowling, at any rate) in this match, but came up with something fast and straight for Keogh, who looked to work it to leg but was beaten for pace as the ball thudded into his front pad.The real calamity came three balls later. Bavuma played Jordan back down the pitch. There was not much pace on the shot but Bavuma somehow saw a single in it, even though Adam Rossington, the new batsman, plainly did not.The stand-in skipper anchored his bat behind the crease but Bavuma was halfway down before he knew he had to turn back. By then, David Wiese had swooped in from mid-on and had the ball in his hands, with enough time to pitch his throw on a long-hop length and watch it follow a gentle arc into the off stump with the South African still out of his ground.At 162 for 5, the chance to win the game had gone. Frustratingly, Northamptonshire had scored quickly enough to be well up with the required rate, but the number in the wickets column was a clear message that they needed to change their focus to survival. All afternoon, anyone dozing off in the sunshine was liable to be disturbed regularly by the crash of ball against advertising boards. The five overs before tea, though, allowed for uninterrupted slumber.Thirty-seven overs remained in the final session, with 182 more runs needed. Too many, it seemed, although there was enough of a nagging doubt in Brown’s mind, it appeared, that he was never quite committed to all-out attack.Hamza was the most likely matchwinner. His third spell, immediately after tea, yielded a wicket with his first ball when late movement did for Luke Procter, snaffled by the diving Brown, but he gave way again after only four overs and did not return until the new ball became available with the race virtually run. No one else possessed his consistent threat.Rossington and Brett Hutton, the other concussion sub, ploughed on with a resolution that will have pleased their head coach, David Ripley, who saw too little at Old Trafford. It had been a good contest, one which Sussex, having been in such a strong position after Jordan and Brown’s colossal performance on the first day had swung the game so heavily in their favour, might feel they should have made more of.

تمكن فريق الهلال، من تسجيل الهدف الأول أمام الاتحاد في المباراة الجارية الآن ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري السعودي للمحترفين.

ويلتقي الهلال مع الاتحاد، على أرضية استاد الأمير فيصل بن فهد، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الرابعة لبطولة دوري روشن.

طالع.. تشكيل الهلال أمام الاتحاد في الدوري السعودي.. ثلاثي هجومي

وسجل ميتروفيتش الهدف الأول للهلال بعد عرضية من نيفيز لداخل منطقة الجزاء قابها ميتروفيتش برأسية متقنة داخل الشباك في الدقيقة الثالثة.

ويحتل الاتحاد صدارة جدول الدوري السعودي برصيد 9 نقاط متفوقًا على الهلال صاحب المركز الثاني بفارق الأهداف. هدف الهلال الأول أمام الاتحاد في الدوري السعودي

West Bromwich Albion will be delighted that they have been able to tie young asset Tom Fellows to a new deal, the 20-year-old extending his contract until 2027 now after worries had grown that he could be off this transfer window.

Fellows will be in line to start tomorrow against Wolverhampton Wanderers as a result in what promises to be a fiercely contested Black Country Derby in the FA Cup, but question marks remain over another midfielder in the Baggies ranks and his future away from this positive development.

If fixed first-teamer Okay Yokuslu does end up departing for pastures new this month, as per reports, Carlos Corberan could well have a perfect replacement up his sleeve in the form of this 19-year-old sensation.

West Brom linked with Birmingham midfielder

According to Turkish outlet Beyaz Gazette, Yokuslu is being lined up for a return to his native Turkey as Trabzonspor are reportedly interested in landing the 29-year-old dynamo.

West Brom losing their dependable number 35 would be a harsh blow right after the ecstatic news of Fellows extending his stay, Yokuslu a regular under Corberan this season with 28 appearances tallied up.

Yet, the Baggies could instantly soften this blow by signing Birmingham City starlet Jordan James as his immediate replacement – Corriere Della Sera first reported on West Brom's interest, via Sports Witness, with Atalanta emerging as a surprise party also sniffing around for the breakthrough 19-year-old prospect alongside Newcastle United, Brentford and Brighton.

Scoring six times this season from central midfield, James would offer West Brom a far more offensive-minded option in the centre of the park compared to Yokuslu.

Over time, this deal could see West Brom even land an upgrade on the 29-year-old with James having so much more room to grow and develop as a player at the Hawthorns alongside an equally exciting Fellows.

How James fits into the West Brom team

Excelling playing as an attacking midfielder this season under Wayne Rooney before the unpopular Blues boss was relieved of his duties, James has also shone playing as a defensive option too.

The young Welshman showcased his aerial expertise – where Yokuslu shines – against Swansea City last time out at St Andrew's, winning 100% of his clashes in the air in a bright 25-minute cameo which also saw him find the back of the net.

Last match away at Stoke City, gifted a start by his new boss in Tony Mowbray in a holding role, James was equally resilient and dogged – winning seven ground duels versus the Potters to help Birmingham pick up a slim 2-1 away win.

Yet, James is not a one-trick pony and has the flair of an attacking midfielder in his arsenal too with two successful dribble attempts also managed on his team's travels to Stoke.

At just 17 years of age, former Blues boss Lee Bowyer described the homegrown talent as "tremendous" with the now 19-year-old just getting better as he matures and refines his craft.

This could well be why West Brom are so keen on adding the dynamic teenager to their ranks this month, James able to come in and competently replace Yokuslu but also able to offer far more than the Turkish number 35 as an attack-oriented presence alongside an equally creative figure in Alex Mowatt.

James would further give the Baggies a source of goals away from overly relying on Brandon Thomas-Asante, with midfield stars John Swift and Jed Wallace seeing their goal output dry up recently.

Coming in as the club's fourth highest earner at £25k-per-week, offloading Yokuslu could see the Championship promotion candidates free up some money to go in for James who is on £1.1k-per-week currently at St. Andrew's.

Tempted no doubt by a heftier pay packet, and the possibility of playing Premier League football next season, James could well be up for making the short trip over from Birmingham to the Hawthorns in a move that could allow Corberan to forget about any need to worry about Okay's future.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo vai ao mercado em busca de reforços para o meio-campo. O alvo da vez é Marco Antônio, de 23 anos, que pertence ao Bahia. O clube de General Severiano tem interesse formal pelo atleta e fará uma reunião com representantes do jogador na próxima segunda-feira para tentar chegar a um acordo.

+ Botafogo S/A tem interesse de fundos árabe e americano

Lucas Andrino, representante do jogador, estará desembarcando no Rio de Janeiro nesta segunda-feira para conversar com Eduardo Freeland, diretor de futebol do Botafogo, e conversar sobre os detalhes da negociação. A informação foi confirmada pelo próprio agente ao LANCE!.

Buscar um meio-campista é uma das prioridades da diretoria do Botafogo no mercado de transferências. O Alvinegro entende que o setor ainda precisa ser reforçado diante de uma temporada com o calendário ainda mais apertado e na disputa da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro.

Marco Antônio se destacou na Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior de 2016 pelo Desportiva Paraense e foi contratado pelo Bahia logo depois. Pelo Tricolor de Aço, fez a estreia como atleta profissional. Na última temporada, marcou quatro gols em 27 partidas disputadas.

+ Jonathan, ex-Athletico, é oferecido ao Botafogo e clube analisa acerto

Na temporada 2021, Marco Antônio soma apenas 18 minutos em campo, tendo perdido espaço com o treinador Dado Cavalcanti no Bahia.

O jogador também despertava o interesse do América-MG. O Bahia negocia com Messias, do Coelho, e a equipe mineira pediu a chegada de Marco Antônio como uma compensação. As conversas, contudo, não avançaram.

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علق محمود الخطيب رئيس نادي الأهلي على تسلم فريق الكرة لدرع الدوري المصري عن الموسم الماضي، بعد انتهاء مباراته أمام جورماهيا في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

والتقى الأهلي مع جورماهيا الكيني على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، في إطار لقاءات إياب دور الـ32 من المسابقة.

تأهل الأهلي إلى دور المجموعات من دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بعد الفوز ذهابًا على جورماهيا بثلاثية والفوز اليوم في الإياب بثلاثية نظيفة أيضًا.

وقال الخطيب في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس”: “الشكر لله، ربنا يكلل المجهود، والأولاد يستحقون”.

طالع | سيد عبد الحفيظ: الأهلي حقق رقمًا صعب تكراره إفريقيًا وعالميًا.. وكولر “فاهم” الجماهير

وتابع: “أشكر مجلس الإدارة والجهاز الفني واللاعبين، وأشكر الجمهور العظيم لأن كان لهم دور عظيم جدًا في فوز الأهلي بالبطولة هذا الموسم، هم أكبر سند بعد الله للاعبين”.

واستطرد: “وأشكر روح شهداء النادي الأهلي، وأضيف لهم نرجس ونورهان مشجعتي النادي”.

وأوضح: “اللاعبون لابد أن يفهموا أن بعد خروجهم من الاستاد، لن يتحدث أحد في وسائل الإعلام سواء هم أو الجهاز”.

واختتم: “أمامنا مهام كثيرة جدًا ولا بد أن نبدأ الموسم الجديد بمعنويات عالية”.

ويستعد الأهلي لمواجهة الزمالك في مباراة نهائي السوبر الإفريقي المقبلة، وذلك للمرة الثانية تاريخيًا بين الفريقين بعد لقاء نهائي نفس المسابقة بنسختها الثانية عام 1994.

The January transfer window has been discernibly slow across the park but West Ham United are picking up steam as David Moyes looks to combat a poor start to 2024.

Earlier this week, an exciting loan deal (with an option to buy) was struck with last season's treble-winning Manchester City for centre-midfielder Kalvin Phillips, while chatter has risen since regarding deals for wingers such as FC Nordsjaelland winger Ibrahim Osman and Portuguese ace Jota, seeking an exit from Al-Ittihad.

Phillips will instil composure in the midfield and can take control of matches through his tenacity and technical acumen, but Moyes appears to be targeting further arrivals and has shifted his attention to the German Bundesliga as he identifies the perfect player to come in and complete an exciting January transfer window for the club.

West Ham's January targets

Whether West Ham succeed in tying up a deal for a new winger remains to be seen at this stage but regardless of this endeavour, it would be wise to advance interest in Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus, who could make the leap to England this month.

According to SPORT BILD, the German ace is seeking an exit from his side after becoming disillusioned under head coach Gerardo Seoane.

While there have been tenuous links across Europe, it's understood that there is concrete interest in the Premier League and the Hammers will rival Aston Villa for his services, with a loan move the most probable route this month.

Why West Ham want Florian Neuhaus

Once hailed as a "complete" midfielder who will be a "top-class player for many years to come" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Neuhaus, aged 26, has served Gladbach well since signing from 1860 Munich back in 2017, making 190 appearances, scoring 25 goals and supplying 26 assists.

Proficient with his gliding movements and spatial awareness, Neuhaus likes to operate between the lines and scan the action as it unfurls before him, picking his moment and moving into free space to latch onto passes and drive into the final third.

This season, he has only started seven times in the Bundesliga but does boast three goals for his labours, also racking up two assists in the DFB Pokal, and would add a dimension to West Ham's side, opening up another offensive angle from the centre of the park.

As per FBref, Neuhaus ranks among the top 5% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored and shots taken, the top 19% for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for touches in the attacking box and the top 24% for progressive carries per 90.

Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta have both picked up injuries this month and the latter faces several months on the sidelines in what is a shattering blow for the Irons, and Neuhaus offers the skill set to succeed the Brazilian; on a loan move too, this could be the perfect route for Moyes to delve down.

Related £13m target now wants to join West Ham but it could be Scamacca 2.0

West Ham have had to wait until late in the window to perform any business.

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Having spent much time with the Foals, perhaps Neuhaus needs a change of scenery to rekindle his best football, and at West Ham, the £66k-per-week star could provide the skills to finish the campaign with a bang, especially given that he's been remarked to play like Barcelona sensation Frenkie de Jong.

How Florian Neuhaus compares to Frenkie de Jong

Neuhaus, it would seem, does need to make a move this month, and with the ten-cap international said by an official Bundesliga player profile to offer immense close control and high-class distribution much like De Jong, it might be a worthwhile venture for Moyes' side, with a defensive aggressivity to boot.

One of the great passers of his generation, De Jong ranks among the top 3% of midfielders for pass completion and the top 1% for passes attempted and progressive passes per 90, even heralded as a "generational genius" by writer Muhammad Butt.

Frenkie de Jong: Biggest Strengths

Very Strong

Strong

Passing

Key passes

Through balls

Concentration

Aerial duels

Source: WhoScored

Signing for Barcelona in a £65m deal from boyhood club Ajax back in 2019, the Dutchman indeed blends beguiling technique with crisp defensive work, winning 59% of his duels in La Liga this season and averaging 2.3 tackles per game.

The 26-year-old doesn't offer the same level of direct attacking ability as the 5 foot 11 Neuhaus, scoring only 16 times for La Blaugrana across 202 appearances, but is an elite operator in the centre of the park and is crucial to the build-up of many an attacking sequence.

De Jong has not played in the Premier League but was fiercely fought for by Manchester United back in 2022 and Barca and the Red Devils had even reached an agreement on a fee for €85m (£70m), though the move was scuppered due to complications with the players' salary and a reluctance to make the move to Old Trafford.

Nonetheless, he's one of the finest midfielders in the business and if West Ham were to secure the services of a player of similar style in Neuhaus – whose rise at Gladbach has been referenced as "incredible" by Gladbach sporting director Nils Schmadtke – Moyes could land the asset that ensures his United squad continue this remarkable chapter in the club's history.

With West Ham enjoying so much glittering success under Moyes' wing throughout the past several years, sealing a swoop for a player such as Neuhaus could be the perfect way to cement the strength of the midfield in a counterbalancing deal with Phillips.

Paqueta's not going to be returning to the grass any time soon and Neuhaus could be the enterprising player to spark success over the crucial next few months for the east London outfit, with continental qualification and silverware very much attainable.

Batsman who hit winning run has mixed emotions over end of an era in domestic one-day cup

Alan Gardner26-May-2019

James Hildreth drives through the off side•Getty Images

Having scored the run that ended Somerset’s 14-year wait for a major trophy, James Hildreth admitted to feeling an unusual mixture of emotions. Delight at his side having secured the Royal London Cup, overcoming 2018 winners Hampshire by six wickets, mixed with relief and surprise at not coming second-best once again; as well as a “bittersweet” sense that he and his Somerset team-mates may be the last to experience the feeling of winning a domestic limited-overs final at Lord’s.From next season, the 50-over tournament is set to run alongside The Hundred, and the addition of the ECB’s new format to an already crowded schedule means List A cricket is likely to be downgraded to “development” status. With the final also moving to Trent Bridge, Somerset’s victory on a sun-kissed afternoon at Lord’s looks set to mark the end of an era in English one-day cricket.”We thought about it to be honest, it’s kind of bittersweet,” Hildreth said. “Because it’s great we got the opportunity to play in it, but it’s sad in a way because you want other guys to experience it in the future. It’s such a big history, especially with our club, legends winning one-day trophies and images of them playing here. So it’s special for us but frustrating that more guys potentially can’t experience it in the future.”It seems like it will be a very different tournament with The Hundred coming in. We don’t know how everything’s going to look at the moment but you’re getting your best players go off and play in The Hundred, and what the one-day tournament will look like … it’s bound to be weakened because the best players won’t be playing it. So that’ll be frustrating but time will tell because nobody really knows what’s going on next year.”While Somerset enjoyed several successful trips to Lord’s in the 1970s and ’80s, winning the Gillette Cup and its successor the NatWest Trophy, as well as twice lifting the Benson & Hedges Cup, they have more recently been associated with near misses, finishing as runners-up in all three major competitions over the last decade. Hildreth is old enough that he played in the 2005 Twenty20 Cup final victory – hitting the winning runs on that occasion, too – and he was grateful for finally being able to add to that title.”It was a frustratingly long time ago, to be honest, it feels like we should have had a few more in between,” he said. “I’m so glad we got over the line today, I’m really pleased for the boys especially the young lads, some of their first experiences of a being in a final and to come away with the right result is great for them and hopefully a platform for us to kick on.”Hildreth, who recently set an appearances record for Somerset across the formats, showed his experience to finish off the job but it was two of the club’s young talents in Jamie Overton and Tom Banton who provided the platform. Overton was named Man of the Match for his three-wicket burst that knocked the stuffing out of the Hampshire innings, while Banton then proceeded to demonstrate why he is so highly rated with a run-a-ball 69 to calm any nerves around chasing.James Hildreth celebrates after hitting the winning runs•Getty Images

“I absolutely loved it [being out there at the end], it’s why you play, for those kind of moments,” Hildreth said. “You want to win trophies with your mates and that’s exactly what happened today. The first half we did well, the bowlers restricted them – we always felt they were under par at the halfway stage. We were pretty confident with chasing it but you always want to get off to a good start. Tom Banton has impressed the whole tournament and it was great he could showcase his talents today in the final.”Relief [was the feeling at the end]. Strange, because it was like ‘Wow, we won!’ It was quite bizarre but it was great, we’ve been bridesmaids for so many years. We’ve all seen the support in the stands, they come around everywhere with us, we’ve got the best support in the country, so it’s great to do it for them.”As for ending an even longer wait, Hildreth was cautiously optimistic that the club would be able to sustain their challenge in the Championship. Somerset, who have never won the pennant, currently sit top of Division One with three wins from four, although they saw Lewis Gregory (side) and Josh Davey (quad) pick up injuries at Lord’s. While the club may not have the same depth as other squads, they have the following week off and there is likely to be renewed vigour when they resume four-day competition against Surrey at Guildford on June 3.”We’re playing well, coming off the back of a few wins – a few different players coming into the Championship team but we’re playing good cricket. There’s no reason why we can’t keep winning games and push on in all three competitions.”

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