This Week in Sport: 23rd – 29th September 2019
Another enthralling week of sporting action lies ahead, commencing with a heavyweight county cricket clash as Somerset face Essex. There’s another edition of the South Coast Derby as Portsmouth and Southampton face off in the Carabao Cup. A major highlight of the UCI Road World Championships, the Men’s Time Trial, takes place on Wednesday. The Green Bay Packers look to continue their excellent NFL season against the Philadelphia Eagles. The World Athletics Championships get underway while the AFL season comes to an end with the Grand Final. Two rugby powerhouses clash in the World Cup as Australia and Wales face off.
Monday 23rd September 9:30AM GMT – Cricket: Somerset v Essex
There is a battle for first place in Division One of the County Championship as Somerset host Essex in Taunton.
Somerset will welcome Essex to The Cooper Associates County Ground knowing anything short of a win will see the title return to Essex. The visitors continue to lead the way in the County Championship, having lost just one game all season and will look to build on their Vitality Blast win by wrapping up Division One this week. Essex’s South African bowler Simon Harmer currently leads the wicket-taking stakes, having taken 78 wickets in his 13 appearances this term - will he be the key for another Essex victory?
Tuesday 24th September 6:45PM GMT – Football: Portsmouth v Southampton
Old rivals clash in the Carabao Cup as Portsmouth host Southampton at Fratton Park.
South Coast rivals Portsmouth and Southampton face off for the first time since 2012. Despite only having one win in their first seven league matches Portsmouth have beaten two Championship sides to reach this stage. Southampton meanwhile find themselves thirteenth in the Premier League after managing two wins in their opening six matches. Both sides will be eager to make headway in the cup in hopes of bringing momentum to their season. Will Portsmouth pull off the upset?
Wednesday 25th September 12:10PM GMT – Cycling: UCI Road World Championships
The Elite Men’s Individual Time Trials takes place at the Road World Championships in Yorkshire.
Wednesday sees one of the most exciting events of the Road World Championships - the Men’s Individual Time Trials. A notable figure missing will be Geraint Thomas, who withdrew citing performance issues. Australian rider Rohan Dennis will look to defend the title he won so memorably last year. With such a wide open field, he definitely stands a good chance. This year’s route takes riders 54Km from Northallerton to Harrogate, through the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. With so many riders competing, who will come out on top?
Thursday 26th September 12:20AM GMT (Friday 27th) – American Football: Green Bay Packers v Philadelphia Eagles
The Green Bay Packers host the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field in a highly-anticipated NFL matchup.
Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers have made a perfect start to the campaign, winning their opening three outings. Today’s affair will be Green Bay’s third straight game at Lambeau Field, and they will look to capitalise on the favourable fixture list early on in the season. Meanwhile, the 2018 Super Bowl winners have flattered to deceive since reaching the dizzy heights of two years ago. Carson Wentz has suffered an indifferent start to the campaign and a turnaround in his form will be crucial to Philadelphia really kickstarting their season.
Friday 27th September 1:30PM GMT – Athletics: World Athletics Championships
The 17th World Athletics Championships begins at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
Fans will be treated to a jam-packed opening day to this year’s World Athletics Championships, with 13 events to look forward to. The heats of the 100m will get underway, where Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman will look to continue their dominance in the discipline. There is a final in the women’s marathon event, where racers’ abilities will be tested across the 26.2 mile distance. Three Kenyan’s currently lead the way in the world marathon rankings, with Ruth Chepngetich leading the pack, having been the women to beat in recent events.
Saturday 28th September 4:00AM GMT – Australian Rules Football: Richmond v Greater Western Sydney
The AFL season come to an end with the Grand Final between Richmond and Greater Western Sydney at the MCG.
Greater Western Sydney make their debut appearance in the Grand Final, having fought their way from a sixth place finish to today’s match. Richmond, who came into the playoffs as the fourth seed, will hunt the title again after winning in 2017. GWS will look to the Coleman Medal-winning Jeremy Cameron for one more game as they hunt for their maiden title. Richmond will hope that Tom Lynch has another great performance and can lead the Tigers to victory.
Sunday 29th September 7:45AM GMT – Rugby Union: Australia v Wales
Australia and Wales continue their Rugby World Cup campaigns against one another at the Tokyo Stadium in Chōfu.
As would have been expected, both Australia and Wales came through their opening World Cup outings unscathed, but something will have to give today as two of the sport’s giants go head to head in Chōfu. Though Fiji gave the Australian’s a stern examination in their opening clash, the latter’s quality eventually shone through as they secured a crucial victory. Wales meanwhile have been labelled as potential winners going into this competition, and they will surely look to lay down a marker as they take on one of the great rugby nations.
Other sporting highlights from around the globe
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the boxing and the world title unification fight in the welterweight division to be contested between Errol Spence Jr and Shawn Porter on Saturday night. Elsewhere, there is Formula 1 action on Sunday as the Russian Grand Prix gets underway at Sochi Autodrom, where Charles Leclerc will hope to return to winning ways after losing out to team mate Sebastian Vettel in Singapore. Other mentions go to the Carabao Cup, with Preston North End set to take on holders Manchester City. The WNBA Semifinals continue this week as Washington Mystics look to see off Las Vegas Aces to earn the right to play the Connecticut Suns in the Finals which begin on Sunday. In the NFL, the Washington Redskins will take to the field with the Chicago Bears on Monday night at FedExField. Events will take place all week long in the UCI Road World Championships with the action concluding on Sunday. There are plenty of exciting ties to look out for at the Rugby World Cup this week including on Thursday when England take on USA at Misaki Park Stadium. The best female tennis players in the world will be tested this week as the Wuhan Open unfolds at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center. There is an exciting event on the European Tour this week as the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship takes place at the Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. Everton will hope to bounce back from last weekend’s demoralising defeat in the Premier League as they welcome champions Manchester City to Goodison Park on Saturday. The two Preliminary Finals take place this week in the NRL as Raiders face Rabbitohs whilst Roosters meet Storm. In the Super League, St. Helens will take on Wigan Warriors at Totally Wicked Stadium, with both sides in scintillating form, and the Salford Red Devils host Castleford Tigers in the other Semi-final. Finally, there will be plenty of excitement on offer at the World Athletics Championships, as a wide selection of events take place, starting from Friday.
A week of world class sport awaits. Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Find daily updates on our Instagram and Facebook pages
Photos by Somerset, Essex, Southampton FC, UCI Road World Championships, Philadelphia Eagles, IAAF, AFL, Wales Rugby
Written and information correct on 22nd September at 10pm GMT