Sport

Nathan Aspinall wrestles with tears after winning first-ever European Tour title following unbelievable checkout

We couldn't be happier for him.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 24th March 2025

Greater Manchester’s very own Nathan Aspinall has finally done it: he’s won his first European Tour Trophy and ended a two-year wait for a title.

‘The Asp’ is back on the up.

33-year-old Nathan Aspinall broke onto the Development and Challenge scene over a decade ago and has had an up and down time in professional darts ever since, including a career-threatening injury back in 2022, but he’s remained a fan favourite underdog throughout that time.

That being said, the room was fully behind as he broke the duck. Here’s how it happened:

Notching a thrilling televised win against Ryan Joyce, currently ranked 26th, the world number eight from Stockport made felt like not just a statement victory but a comeback of sorts, showcasing some of the impressive form that saw him emerge as such a promising talent in the first place.

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He won his inaugural PDC Pro Tour title back in 2018 and his first World Series of Darts title at the US Darts Masters a year later, but he’s had to wait for his moments in the years since; in terms of a big title win on the Euro Tour, Aspinall was the first to joke “it only took me 10 years!”

His last piece of silverware came in July 2023 when he won his first World Matchplay title and dropped to the oche floor in a similarly emotional fashion, but the subsequent drought has felt like an eternity for the Stopfordian and his loyal following of fans.

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The Asp led the entire match, breaking Joyce’s throw to take a 4-1 lead before ultimately going on to win 8-4 at the European Darts Trophy final in Göttingen, Germany on Sunday night.

He flexed some serious muscles and showed some resilience to do so, including an absolute peach of a 170 checkout that will go down as one of the best of the year – we don’t care if it’s only March.

It wasn’t the only ‘Big Fish’ he pulled off either, having managed the same feat against veteran Gary Anderson in the semis, a moment he said had his hands shaking, let alone making it to the final.

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Speaking after the crowd-pleasing conclusion and his maiden Euro title win, Aspinall said: “For me, personally – can I swear? It’s been a s*** few years for me. This is what I needed, it was a big win.

“It makes me believe in myself that I’m still good enough to compete with these boys. Because of the situation I’ve been in over the last few years with the injuries and the dartitis, this is probably my proudest moment.

The crowd were unbelievable. The support I got was amazing. This honestly means so much to me. Roll on [Michael] van Gerwen on Thursday night [in the Premier League of Darts].” He also told PDC of his struggles with ‘dartitis’ – a phenomenon that continues to confound players and viewers alike.

He signed off with a typically amusing moment, adding: “Honestly, [one] final word for this crowd, you guys are unbelievable and if anyone wants to buy me a pint at the bar, I’ll see you later.”

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Featured Images — Professional Darts Corporation (screenshots via YouTube)

Sport

The annual Manchester Remembers Foundation charity football match has shut down

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Remembers charity game 2025 cancelled

The annual Manchester Remembers charity football match has been cancelled for 2025, and unfortunately, the wider Foundation has also shut down for the foreseeable.

Set up back in 2020, the Manchester Remembers charity game was created to help raise funds for the families of those lost in the tragic 2017 Manchester Arena attack, raising nearly £200,000 in donations for multiple organisations.

It has been a truly treasured community event across Greater Manchester, welcoming thousands to the likes of Manchester City Academy Stadium and Oldham Athletic‘s Boundary Park, as well as spotlighting local musicians and notable figures volunteering their help for a deeply important cause.

However, the Foundation is now set to hang up its boots. Confirming the news over the bank holiday weekend, founders Aaron Lee and Paul Corrigan shared “a difficult statement to make and a decision not taken lightly.”

As explained in the lengthy and emotional post, it is with a “heavy heart” that this year’s charity match has now been officially cancelled, and tickets already purchased up to this point are now being refunded.

Having played a small part in helping spread awareness around the game and the Foundation since it began, we were gutted to learn of this sad news.

The 2025 MCR Remembers game was scheduled to take place this June at a new venue for the event, Bury FC’s home ground at Gigg Lane, but following what they have labelled “a lack of support” from Greater Manchester leaders and “influential people needed to carry the event forward.”

Lee – a former police officer turned firefighter who was one of the emergency responders on 22 May, 2017 – went on to share a follow-up video reflecting on the announcement.

As he puts in the piece to camera, he says that even if those who had been reached out to in recent times were to suddenly respond, that it is “sadly too late.”

Taking time to thank not only past sponsors, managers, ex-pros and celebrity players who have been part of the event in the past, but everyone who bought tickets to the event(s) over the past few years, stating simply: “We cant thank you enough.”

Lee, who was given both a Chief Fire Officers Commendation and British Citizen Award in 2024, went on to address those “so-called leaders and influential people” in a subsequent post, adding: “All we needed was a bit of help. But we were ignored. Thanks for the memories.”

Unsurprisingly, the comments on social media have been awash with messages of love, support and sadness upon learning of this year’s cancellation and the end of The Manchester Remembers Foundation after more than half a decade.

There is some hope, though, as he ends the video by saying, “Who knows if this is the end or not? […] I dare say we’ll be back at some point.” We can only keep our fingers crossed he’s right and the MCR Remembers charity game won’t be shut down for good.

Manchester will always remember.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Manchester Remembers Foundation

Sport

25,000 free footballs are being given away across the UK

Danny Jones Danny Jones Barlcays bank giving 1000 free football across the UK

A total of 25,000 free footballs are up for grabs this month as part of a new scheme from Barclays, who are giving them away to mark a special anniversary.

The British multinational universal bank, which boasts over 850 branches and more than 48 million customers worldwide, has been supporting the beautiful game for a quarter of a century now and has been the primary Premier League sponsor since the 2001/02 season.

Approaching 25 years helping fund and promote English football, they’ve come up with a new initiative to celebrate, simply called the ‘Lost Ball Project‘.

We’ve all seen scenes like these before.

barclays free footballs
lost ball project
Credit: Barclays (supplied)

Tapping into the national and generational memory of losing a ball to a pond, up a tree, over a fence or on a roof and so on, Barclays are making up for those heartbreaking little losses – one ball at a time.

Lost Ball will see the bank give away 25k footballs across the UK, with Barclays customers able to claim a free ball for themselves or someone else who has lost theirs.

Already up and running, the scheme is off to a flyer and free footies will be available until Thursday, 22 May, so we wouldn’t wait around.

The bank has played an integral role throughout the British football pyramid for decades now, sponsoring to only the Premier League but also the WSL, Barclays Women’s Championship; the Northern Irish Women’s Football Association, Scottish Women’s Championship and the Scottish Women’s League One

They’ve even put together this emotive, albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek video:

Excellent song choice.

As they put it, the mission of the Lost Ball Project is simple: “Let’s keep the nation playing the beautiful game. Because there’s no football without grassroots football.”

In addition to backing established leagues, they have continued to support the country’s footballing community at large, especially in terms of the women’s game.

For instance, the Barclays Girls’ Football School partnership with The FA has seen the number of participating schools rise from 3,000 in 2019 to 20,000 in 2024, helping more than 2.5 million schoolgirls access football.

Important work done from the ground up.

Credit: Supplied

Barclays’ Group Head of Sponsorship, Tom Corbett, said in a statement: “We are immensely proud of our pioneering work and funding to grassroots football over the past 25 years.

Giving away 25,000 balls to replace our customers’ ‘Lost Balls’ means they will never be without the one thing you need to be able to play the game we’ve supported at Barclays for all these years.”

If you bank with the group, you can find out how to claim your free football HERE.

We quite fancy a kick around now.

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Featured Images — Barclays (supplied)

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