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Sale's match with Worcester Warriors has been called off after Premiership Rugby reported six more Sharks players have tested positive for Covid-19. The game was originally due to take place on Sunday, but it was rearranged for Wednesday after 19 cases of coronavirus in the Sharks camp. It means Worcester are awarded a 20-0 win and Sale miss out on the play-offs. Bath will now travel to leaders Exeter in the semi-finals on Saturday, while Bristol go to Wasps. Two members of Sale rugby staff have also returned positive results from the latest round of testing, bringing the number of infections at the club to 27 in the past seven days. Worcester welcomed the decision to cancel the fixture, calling it "the right outcome for the safety of all players, staff and officials involved". The club also extended it sympathies to Sale that a match with such significance for their play-off hopes had to be forfeited. While Sale admitted the cancellation is "devastating", denying them the chance to win the Premiership title, it wholly understands "the welfare of players, staff and officials is the most important factor". The Sharks are the subject of a Rugby Football Union investigation into their Covid management after the initial 19 positive results were confirmed on Saturday. The club once again denied reports players and staff had broken any guidelines and protocols given to them by the RFU and Premiership Rugby. It also labelled claims players had gone out partying and socialising in Manchester following their Premiership Rugby Cup victory over Harlequins on 21 September as "completely inaccurate and untrue".

OK, what are you basing your opinion on that "English football behaviour, both inside and outside stadiums, has long been up there with the worst" then that means so many won't abide by new guidelines?

Sale Sharks have named their side to face Worcester Warriors in the clubs rearranged Gallagher Premiership Round 22 fixture scheduled for Wednesday 7th October 7:45pm. Live on BT Sport – Kick off 7:45pm. Following a confirmed 19 positive COVID 19 cases at the club last week, Steve Diamond’s squad options are in short supply, however the club are able to field a COVID compliant matchday squad for the fixture. Valery Morozov, Cameron Neild and Ross Harrison make up the front row for the Sharks highly stakes clash with Worcester tomorrow evening, with Morozov making the switch to tighthead prop for the first time since joining the club. Jean-Luc du Preez and Matt Postlethwaite combine to form a powerful lock partnership for tomorrow’s match, with the Sharks deploying a familiar back row of Jono Ross, Tom Curry and Daniel du Preez for the rescheduled fixture. Will Cliff and Robert du Preez link up in the half back roles, the trusted pair know each other well after a string of solid performances together throughout early stages of the 19/20 season gave the Sharks a platform for success early in the campaign. Premiership stalwart Cliff and Springbok du Preez are joined in the back line by Sam Hill and Sam James, who take their places in the midfield after combining for 60 minutes during the Sharks’ clash with Northampton Saints last Tuesday. Marland Yarde, Denny Solomona and Luke James complete an exciting back line for Sale ahead of Wednesday night’s match. *Subject to Sale Sharks entire squad undergoing further COVID 19 testing on Tuesday 6th October testing, If the club feel it is not safe to play or receive one additional positive test, Sale Sharks will forfeit their Gallagher Premiership Round 22 match with Worcester Warriors in order to ensure the health and safety of all concerned. Sale Sharks XV: Luke James, 14. Denny Solomona, 13. Sam James, 12. Sam Hill, 11. Marland Yarde, 10. Robert du Preez, 9. Will Cliff; 1. Ross Harrison, 2. Cameron Neild, 3. Valerey Morozov, 4. Matt Postlethwaite, 5. Jean-Luc du Preez, 6. Jono Ross (Capt.), 7. Tom Curry, 8. Daniel du Preez. Replacements: Ewan Ashman, 17. Cal Ford, 18. Joe Jones, 19. Ewan Murphy, 20. Sam Dugdale, 21. Joe Bedlow, 22. Tom Curtis, 23. Connor Doherty TAKEN FROM: https://www.premiershiprugby.com/news/sale-sharks-team-news-worcester-warriors-h

I haven't seen it written anywhere. But are there time slots when the semi finals will be played this weekend? I've seen Bristol advertise about playing Saturday, is there any indication of what time that might be? I haven't seen if both semi finals are Saturday, or if one is Saturday and one Sunday etc?

WATCH LIVE SPORT AT ASHTON GATE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6TH 2020 Ashton Gate is pleased to announce a number of sporting events that will be screened live in the Ashton Gate Sports Bar & Pizzeria. Including matches such as England v Wales in the Nations League as well as 6 Nations action between Italy and England, the Sports Bar & Pizzeria is the ideal place to watch some of the biggest events on the sporting calendar on the largest indoor screen in the country. You can also take advantage of great pizza courtesy of our partners Pizza Workshop. Customers can book a table for up to 6 people in the Pizzeria by emailing reservations@ashtongate.co.uk Live Sport Schedule: Thursday 8 October – England v Wales – Nations League 8pm KO Saturday 10 October – Bears v TBC, KO is TBC Sunday 11 October – England v Belgium – Nations League 5.00pm KO Wednesday 14 October – England v Denmark – Nations League 7.45pm KO Friday 16 October – Bears v Toulon - European Challenge Cup Final 8.00pm KO Saturday 17 October – Exeter Chiefs v Racing 92 – European Champions Cup Final 4.45pm KO Saturday 31 October – Italy v England – 6 Nations – 4.45pm KO Please note in line with government guidelines there is a 10pm curfew that applies. The venue must be clear by 10pm. TAKEN FROM: https://www.bristol-sport.co.uk/news/watch-live-sport-at-ashton-gate/

OPEN LETTER TO SUPPORTERS: TOGETHER WE WILL GET FANS SAFELY BACK INTO GROUNDS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6TH 2020 The Premier League, EFL, The FA, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship want to assure all fans that together we are fully committed to your safe return to football grounds as soon as possible. The health of the nation remains our overriding priority, and for many months we have been working with experts to make our grounds as safe as, if not safer than, any other public activity currently allowed. And we are consulting with the Football Supporters’ Association to keep supporters updated every step of the way. We know attendance at matches can play a positive role in people’s lives during these challenging times. And the past few months have shown how clubs can still feel the support of their fans. Even when you have been unable to get together, you and your clubs have found ways to make a difference in your communities, with clubs delivering food parcels, taking part in phone calls and online conversations with fans, the elderly and vulnerable and moving services and programmes online to make a difference in unprecedented and challenging circumstances. But we all know football is not the same without fans. Every player and manager is missing the direct connection with you and the impact that you have on our games. With the EFL, Premier League, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship already staging 11 successful test events recently, we have demonstrated that we can deliver matches safely. The sooner we can return, the sooner we can reunite communities and support local jobs, livelihoods, regional businesses and also the national economy. We will continue to urge Government to allow us to return fans safely to stadiums. It is positive progress that major arts and music venues have been told they can run socially-distanced events indoors. And now football should be allowed to do the same - in highly regulated and stewarded outdoor environments. Additionally, representatives from football are active members of the Government's Sports Technology and Innovation Group, as well as being involved with their ‘Moonshot’ mass-testing project to open up the economy. And in light of the postponement of test events we will intensify our efforts to pioneer new approaches - working with epidemiologists, scientists and medical experts in areas such as public health, clinical processes and occupational hygiene. This will make sure stadiums are COVID-safe by considering best practice screening and hygiene methods to ensure that fans and the general public will be safe and drive the Government's sporting plans to move faster. Stadium environments can be modified and carefully managed. Measures could include screening spectators before they enter the ground, installing temperature checks, requiring masks to be worn, one-way systems and providing a code of conduct for all those attending on a matchday. This will all be bolstered by deep-cleaning practices to help further reduce the risk of virus transmission. Clubs want to be pro-active on this matter and willing to consider measures both in the stadium and on the approach that will allay any concerns as to fans’ safety. From a travel perspective, clubs will work closely with experts and local authorities to model solutions relevant for each stadium to ease pressure on public transport, while extra parking facilities could be available so a greater proportion of you can travel by private car or bicycle We are determined to identify a path forward with Government. We need clarity for our clubs and for you as supporters as to what the roadmap for change in this area looks like. We all know why caution is needed, and we ask Government for consistency in their policy so sport is treated as fairly as other activities currently allowed to welcome spectators. So, we will continue to urge the relevant authorities to let us, together, use innovative ways to bring fans safely back into football grounds, starting with a return of the test event programme. If we do so, then the benefits will be felt not just by fans but throughout society and the economy. Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive David Baldwin, EFL Chief Executive Mark Bullingham, FA Chief Executive Kelly Simmons, FA Director of Women's Professional Game TAKEN FROM: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/open-letter-to-supporters-together-we-will-get-fans-safely-back-into-grounds/

I have to say I completely disagree with this, equally backed up by these figures There is so little trouble in and around grounds nowadays in this country, and is far worse in and around other European leagues. I think you are being very disrespectful assuming that people will flout any new guidelines and just look to play up and break guidelines

On the basis that Southgate is reportedly livid at the three players, I'd be surprised if he selected them after how he dealt with the other lads

As mentioned above, I've merged the threads now

The Womens FA Cup second round draw was done today, a few local teams are still involved

Wednesday night sees the first match in this seasons FA Continental Cup, home to London Bees. The Bees are bottom of the Championship - played 3, lost 3. Scored 1 and conceded 10. This really should be a hammering for us, as the gulf between the two leagues is massive After that we play Aston Villa and Birmingham - the two sides immediately above us in the table, both very winnable games and hopefully the result against London Bees will give them the confidence going into Sunday's home game

Bristol "should" be OK.

Not surprised

Sale have announced the game is going ahead

Not surprised to read this has now been cancelled https://www.wealdstone-fc.com/post/cancellation-of-live-screening-in-club-house-wfc-v-chesterfield

Close, Saracens would be on 30 points, TWO ahead of Leicester Reading around the 'net the story going around about Sale is that they have 16 players isolating following Coronavirus testing. It was interesting the PRL announced earlier that they had agreed to delay the naming of Sundays squads until noon on Saturday - saying this was due to midweek games. It appears a 72 page guide was issued to all sides at the restart of the season, one of the rulings states: ‘Premiership Rugby insists postponements will only be triggered by a club announcing they cannot field a competitive team if, for example, all their props are in quarantine. In that event a panel will collectively rubber-stamp the decision to award victory to the opposing team, with no space available in the tightly- packed schedule for rescheduled fixtures.’ This would mean that Worcester would also be awarded the game 20-0, and get 5 points

The three races will be completely separate 07:15 – Elite women’s race 10:15 – Elite men’s race 13:10 – Wheelchair races

For anyone that missed the disaster ending for Leicestershire https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cricket/54376401

Rain could play a significant part on T20 Blast Finals Day, with a complete washout a possibility. The semi-finals and final of English cricket’s premier short-form competition are set to take place on Saturday, October 3 at Edgbaston, the latest finish the English county season will have witnessed. But Accuweather suggests there is a 78 per cent chance of precipitation, predicting six hours of rain during the day and three hours in the evening and overnight. There is a reserve day scheduled, but Accuweather predicts only a slight improvement in the forecast for Sunday, October 4, giving a 66 per cent chance of rain with five and a half hours of rain set to fall during the day. If there is a washout on both days, a succession of bowl-outs will be used to determine the destination of the 2020 T20 Blast title. Five players from each side will be nominated to bowl two deliveries each at a set of stumps, indoors or outdoors. If scores are equal, the same five bowlers will bowl one ball each on a sudden death basis. TAKEN FROM: https://wisden.com/stories/county-cricket/t20-blast-2020/triple-bowl-out-looms-as-rain-threatens-t20-blast-finals-day

Tut tut...

Oh dear Leicestershire. Two of the worst misfields you will see. One going for a four when it was a basic ball to stop, the other another simple stop off the last ball of the game, going for two giving Nottinghamshire the result

A major scheme to reopen the Portishead to Bristol railway line has reached an important milestone. The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has written to North Somerset Council confirming the date for the proposals for the reopening of the Portishead Branch Line to be examined. The examination is part of the complex Development Consent Order (DCO) process. Nationally-significant infrastructure projects require a DCO before they can be built. As part of the process, the Planning Inspectorate is required to hold the examination, which takes around six months. The DCO application to reopen the Portishead line is part of the MetroWest Phase 1 scheme, a West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council project delivered in partnership with Network Rail. The project was accepted by the Planning Inspectorate in December 2019. The scheme involves reopening over 5km of railway which will be added to the national network, the construction of two new stations at Portishead and Pill and works to upgrade 9km of freight only railway. This will enable an hourly passenger train service on a reopened Portishead Line, while maintaining the current freight train operation to and from Royal Portbury Dock. In addition, the wider Phase 1 proposals (not part of the examination), will bring significant train service improvements to two other railway lines – the Severn Beach Line and the Westbury to Bristol Line – and will deliver train service upgrades for 16 existing stations. During the examination, the inspectors will look in detail at the DCO application which seeks powers to build and operate the disused section of railway from Portishead to Pill, minor works to the existing freight railway through the Avon Gorge and for the compulsory acquisition of land needed for the railway to reopen. The 46-page letter received from the Planning Inspectorate (known as a Rule 6 letter) confirms the appointment of the panel of inspectors who will be undertaking the examination, the date of the first meetings, and timescales for the six month process. The process begins with a preliminary meeting which is being held online because of Covid-19 restrictions and will be in two parts on Tuesday 6 October and Monday 19 October. After these meetings, the formal examination process begins, with an open floor hearing on the evening of Monday 19 October when interested parties can give the panel their views on the project. West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles said: “We are making major investments in our public transport network to improve rail services right across the West of England, including the reopening of the Portishead and Henbury lines, new stations and more frequent services to Bath, Westbury, Yate and Gloucester. “I welcome the start of the examination process for the reopening of the Portishead Line that will take us a step closer to connecting more local people to jobs, education and leisure opportunities across the region. Creating more sustainable travel options will help cut congestion, improve air quality and make our area an even more attractive place for people to live, work and play.” The Leader of North Somerset Council Cllr Don Davies said the council was delighted that the public examination process was about to begin. “This is a hugely complex scheme that has to go through many stages in order to progress. The start of the examination process is one of those key milestones, and we anticipate it will be a very intense six months for the project. “The Portishead line is a key priority scheme putting jobs and infrastructure into the heart of our economic growth strategy. Despite all of the current challenges we are pressing on with a nationally significant project that will deliver wide ranging environmental and economic benefits to our region, and all aspects need to be considered by the Planning Inspectorate. “Once completed, MetroWest Phase 1 will connect an additional 50,000 residents directly to the national rail network and improve the level of service for a further 180,000 residents on the Severn Beach and Westbury corridors.” The upgrade for the Severn Beach and Westbury lines are set to see improved train services start in 2021 with the Portishead line re-opening in 2024. More information about the DCO examination process can be found at the Planning Inspectorate’s webpage: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-west/portishead-branch-line-metrowest-phase-1/ Benefits of the wider MetroWest scheme include: 181,000 fewer car trips in the opening year, increasing to 278,000 fewer car trips a year by 2036 A reduction of 7.5 million car kilometres in the opening year 958,980 passenger trips by rail in the opening year increasing to 1,295,103 passenger trips by 2036 Bringing more than 50,000 people within the immediate catchment of the two new stations at Portishead and Pill Providing better access to employment and educational opportunities Upgrading the existing train service at 16 stations across three rail corridors, directly benefiting 180,000 people within a 1km catchment Creating 514 new direct permanent jobs and temporary jobs during construction Providing £3 of quantified benefits for every £1 invested to deliver the scheme, putting the scheme in the high value for money category Enhancing the regional economy by £264m in the first ten years TAKEN FROM: https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/portishead-rail-moves-a-step-closer/

@OldlandReddies @CyderInACan This may be of interest to you both? https://www.bristolbearsrugby.com/news/challenge-cup-final-hospitality-at-ashton-gate/