Andy Murray has been restored to Great Britain’s Davis Cup team for the group stage Finals against Australia, France and Switzerland in Manchester next month.
The three-time Grand Slam champion and Wimbledon winner was left out of the squad for their 3-1 win against Colombia in February and has been in and out of the set-up due to injury over recent years.
Murray, 36, helped Britain on their way to their first Davis Cup win in 79 years back in 2015 — the same year he won four different ATP titles — and despite going out in the second round of Wimbledon in July, he is still a huge addition to the squad set to play right here in Manchester next month.
Kicking off on 12 September, Team GB will compete against the other three teams in Group B to qualify for a place in the finals which will be played in Malaga in November.
Andy Murray rounds off Great Britain’s 2023 Davis Cup squad
British no.1 Cam Norrie leads the squad alongside Wimbledon-winning double specialist, Neal Skupski, world no. 28 Dan Evans and Murray as Britain hopes to lift their 11th Davis Cup.
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Although they were eliminated in the group stages last year, Team Captain Leon Smith has insisted that having Murray back in the squad should give a real boost to their chances.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said, “Having Andy in the team is great. He’s the senior statesman, the one who has been there and done it, but we’re also fortunate we’ve got Cam who is top 15 in the world, and who has been top 10 recently and reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year.”
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“Dan has had a tough year but he won the Washington title recently – an ATP 500 event – that is the first time he has won at that level”, he continued, “and our fourth player is Neal who has just picked up the Wimbledon doubles title and is number one in the world.” Not a bad little lineup at all.
As for playing here in Manchester, Smith told the LTA: “It’s been a long time since we played in the North West and I’m sure we are going to feel and hear a lot of energy from the fans.” You know we’ll do our bit to put in a good performance, don’t worry about that mate.
If you fancy our chances of success in the 2023 Davis Cup, you can catch all the games from 12-17 September at the AO Arena in Manchester and, better yet, adult tickets start from just a tenner.
Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sport
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Danny Jones -
15th August 2023 
