And just like that…the three day working week comes to an end.

Here’s to another sport-filled long weekend ahead.

19 years and 5 days
The age of Australian tennis player Maya Joint, who claimed her first WTA 1000 victory in the opening round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday. Joint’s win makes her the youngest Australian to win a WTA 1000 match, eclipsing a record previously held by former world number one Ash Barty.

"Keith was one of the great contributors to the game of cricket and his legacy will live long into the future. Not only was he an outstanding player for Australia and Victoria, his work in the media, radio and TV commentary and as a mentor to many players who followed in his footsteps demonstrated his enduring passion and influence in the game."
Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird commenting on former Australian Test cricketer Keith Stackpole, who died yesterday aged 84. Stackpole played 43 Tests for Australia as an opening batsman and was the 238th Australian to wear the baggy green. He was awarded an MBE in 1974 for services to cricket and, following his retirement, went on to become a successful radio and TV commentator for the game. 

The world record for the fastest ball bowled in a Test match belongs to Australia’s very own Mitchell Starc, who delivered a ball at 160.4 km/h during a match against New Zealand at the WACA in Perth on 15 November 2015. The fastest ball in all formats of international cricket belongs to Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan, who bowled a 161.3 km/h ball against England during an ODI World Cup match in 2003.

⛳ The first of five majors on golf’s LPGA Tour, the Chevron Championship, begins on Thursday in Houston, Texas. The tournament will see seven Australians in the mix playing for a $US8 million ($AU12 million) prize purse. Aussie world number five Hannah Green is one of the tournament favourites, but will have to overcome world number one and defending champion American Nelly Korda. 

🏉 The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) has reportedly come to an in-principle agreement with the government of Western Australia to bring a Perth-based rugby league team to the NRL. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the ARLC approved an increased offer from WA Premier Roger Cook on Wednesday morning. The agreement will also need to be signed by the existing clubs and the Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA). The agreement would see the North Sydney Bears relocate to Perth and join the league in 2027.

⚽ An Ecuadorian soccer player’s wife and 5-year-old child have been kidnapped, according to local police reports. Jackson Rodríguez, who is a defender for Ecuadorian club C.S. Emelec, told police that he hid under a bed after hearing the front door being knocked down. His wife and young child were subsequently taken. 

On 6 May 1954, English runner Sir Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile (1,609m) in under four minutes. On 26 June this year, Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon will attempt to become the first woman to break the elusive barrier. The pace required to run a mile in under four minutes is 2 minutes and 30 seconds per kilometre.

Kipyegon announced the attempt, titled Breaking4, alongside Nike. The 31-year-old is a three-time Olympic champion in the women’s 1500m and widely regarded as the best women’s middle-distance runner of all time. She is also the current world record holder of the women’s mile, which stands at 4 minutes and 7.64 seconds.

For the attempt, Kipyegon will have a pacer in front and behind her to minimise wind resistance. The attempt will take place at the Stade Charléty in Paris, France.

It is a similar project to the one that saw marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge run a sub-two-hour marathon. That attempt did not count as an official world record because of Kipchoge’s use of pacers. Kipyegon’s attempt will also be invalid for a world record, but that is beside the point.

Kipyegon said: “I’m a three-time Olympic champion. I’ve achieved World Championship titles. I thought, what else? Why not dream outside the box? And I told myself, ‘If you believe in yourself, and your team believes in you, you can do it.’”

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Anzac Day will see two annual grudge matches take place across the AFL and NRL. In NSW, the Sydney Roosters will take on the St. George Illawarra Dragons, and in Victoria, the Collingwood Magpies will play the Essendon Bombers. Here’s what you need to know.

At 4:00pm tomorrow, the Roosters and Dragons will go head to head in a traditional Anzac Day fixture played since 2002.

The Roosters are currently 16th on the ladder, having won two of the seven matches they have played so far. Last week, they lost to a Penrith Panthers side that has so far this season struggled to find the form that saw them win the past four premierships.

The Dragons are on a two-match winning streak after downing the Manly Sea Eagles and the Gold Coast Titans. They sit in seventh on the ladder, having won three of six matches so far this season.

Despite both sides' respective standings on the ladder, the Roosters have history in their corner. The Roosters have won 11 of their past 13 matches against the Dragons. On Anzac Day, the Dragons have only won one of the last five clashes. Last year’s result was a 60-18 win to the Roosters.

Tomorrow’s match will be played at Allianz Stadium.

Collingwood and Essendon have played each other annually on Anzac Day since 1995.

On recent form, Collingwood are the favourites to win this year’s match. The Magpies are at the top of the AFL ladder and have won their last five matches, including wins over last year’s grand finalists, the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans, in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the Bombers sit in 11th. They are on a three-match win streak after losing the first two matches of the season. Last week, they held on against the last-placed West Coast Eagles, winning by just two points.

In the history of the fixture, Collingwood has won more matches, with 17 victories to Essendon’s 10. There have also been two draws, including last year’s match when scores were locked at 85-85 when the full-time siren sounded. The only time the match has been missed was for COVID in 2020.

Tomorrow’s match will be played at the MCG, with the first bounce scheduled for 3:20pm.

This weekend’s rounds of both the NRL and AFL will begin tonight before tomorrow’s grudge matches. In the NRL, the Brisbane Broncos will play the undefeated Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at 8:00pm. In the AFL, the Melbourne Demons will take on the Richmond Tigers at 7:40pm.

You can watch the NRL on Channel 9 and the AFL on Channel 7. Both are available on Foxtel and Kayo.