Mimi Cesar, Stephani Sherlock and Hannah Martin have been selected to compete for Team England at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in April.

With 50 days to go until the Games in Australia, the three athletes will make up Team England’s rhythmic gymnastics squad that will compete at Coomera Indoor Sports Centre.

Mimi Cesar and Stephani Sherlock will be returning to the Commonwealth Games stage after competing at Glasgow 2014, while Hannah Martin will be making her Team England debut in April.

Team England ambassador, Birmingham 2022 supporter and three-time British senior all-around champion, Mimi Cesar, said:

“It’s so exciting to be able to tell everyone I have made the Gold Coast team and I can’t wait to get out there and compete for Team England. I’ve been training really hard over the last 18 months with Gold Coast completely in the focus. I know that my time is now in my gymnastics career, it’s been the best it’s ever been and I know that I have the potential to bring home that medal.”

Stephani Sherlock made her Team England debut at Glasgow 2014 and made the finals in all-around, hoop and ball. The 21-year-old, who trains at Espirit Rhythmic in Swindon, is a multiple British champion and medallist.

Sherlock said:  “I’m so excited, I can’t wait to go out to Australia especially as I’ve always wanted to go to Australia so it’s amazing to go as part of Team England and hopefully we can do really well and make everyone proud. I enjoyed Glasgow very much, I was very young, only 17 years old, it was my very first major competition and I can tell that Australia will be an amazing Games that will give me a lot of experience.”

Hannah Martin, who trains at iStar Academy in West Sussex, is a British junior champion who is just beginning her senior career. The 15-year-old is the youngest gymnast on the team and one of the youngest athletes competing for Team England.

She said:

“It’s a real dream come true, it’s something I’ve been dreaming for for a long time and I’ve worked so hard for it and I can’t believe it’s happened for me. I’ve learnt so much from Mimi and Stephani and I watched them in the Commonwealth Games last time and I was like that’s where I want to go so I’m so happy I’m on the team with them because they are my inspiration.

“I just need to work really hard now and when I’m there it’s all about showing my best and doing my country proud. I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere and the pride of competing for my country is something I can’t describe.”

Team England last won a Commonwealth Games medal in rhythmic at Delhi 2010 with a team all-around bronze.

The three gymnasts will be competing across the four rhythmic disciplines on the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th April.

Team England will send a team of around 600 athletes and staff in what will be England’s largest ever team to represent the nation in an overseas sporting event. The team will compete in 18 sports, including 38 para medal events.

Sarah Winckless, Chef de Mission for Commonwealth Games England, said:

“To welcome our rhythmic gymnastics team today gives me great pleasure. They make up an important part of our gymnastics squad at Team England, and I look forward to working with them at Games time. Mimi-Isabella Cesar has been one of Team England’s ambassadors going into the Games and look forward to support her, Stephani Sherlock and Hannah Martin at Games time.”

Team England’s gymnastics team leader, Mike Weinstock, said:

“I’m really excited to see our rhythmic gymnasts compete on the Gold Coast and I know they can’t wait. They’re a very talented group of gymnasts and have been working very hard on their performance. Mimi and Stephani had the experience of competing in Glasgow and Hannah will be making her Games debut at the age of just 15.

“We know that the Games will be extremely well organised and the whole team is really looking forward to going out at flying the flag for England.”

Premiership Champions Exeter Chiefs recently swapped their training ground at Sandy Park, Exeter for the award-winning Salcombe Distilling Co. in the beautiful seaside town of Salcombe. These highly skilled team players used their charisma and flair to raise the bar creating delicious Salcombe Gin cocktails.

It was then head to head in a play-off to design and develop their very own bottle of gin at the Salcombe Gin School accompanied by Exeter Rugby Club Chairman and Chief Executive, Tony Rowe OBE.

Tony said: “Salcombe Gin is very popular amongst those who visit Sandy Park for match-days as well as the many functions, dinners and events we host. We have a new Gin & Fizz Bar and it's great that we have such a fantastic product available right here on our doorstep."

He continued, “As someone who is partial to the odd drop of gin, it was fantastic for myself and the players to get a real insight into how they make Salcombe Gin. Not only did we find the trip hugely informative, but to then get the chance to distill our own was great fun."

Howard Davies, co-founder, said, “We were delighted to host Tony and the players at our waterside distillery. They were intrigued about how we make our award-winning gin and were soon shaking some cocktails behind the bar before heading over to our Gin School. They each took charge of a mini-copper still in our distilling laboratory, choosing from over 100 botanicals to create their unique gin recipe.”

Salcombe Gin head distiller, Jason Nickels continued, “As you would expect, they were all highly competitive, seeking perfection at every stage of the process but we also had a lot of fun along the way. Walnuts were a dominant flavour in Tony's gin and Jack used coffee in his, resulting in some awesome espresso martinis shaken in the distillery bar afterwards”.

It was the perfect match between two award-winning teams in Devon.

Tributes will be paid to legendary Coventry City striker and FA Cup winning hero Cyrille Regis at their home game against Swindon Town on Saturday.

There will be a minute’s applause ahead of kick-off on Saturday, while Regis will adorn the front cover of the match-day programme.

Inside, there will also be an obituary for him, with photos from his time at the club and messages from the world of football in a six page tribute.

Players will wear black armbands, while there will be a tribute video played on the big screen at half-time.

A Memory Book will be available for fans to sign & share their memories of Cyrille Regis in the Family Zone.

This year’s Legends Day on Saturday March 3 against Lincoln City, held in association with the Coventry City Former Players Association, will be dedicated to Regis, who played 238 games for the club, passed away at the age pf only 59.

Team England will send a 12 strong boxing team to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia which starts on 4 April.  In total 8 men and 4 women will travel to the Gold Coast to compete for team and country.

Welterweight, Pat McCormack, competed for England at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and Team GB at Rio 2016 and is a two-time European Championships silver medalist.

He said: “It’s great to be selected for the Commonwealth Games.  I competed at the one in Glasgow but I was young and inexperienced then and did not win a medal.  Since then I have been to the world championships twice, won two silver medals the Europeans and been to an Olympic Games so I will have a lot more confidence and experience going into the competition this time.

“I have always wanted to go travelling to Australia, so to be able to go there through boxing is even better.  I know it will be a tough tournament but I have trained hard and I am going there to win gold.

“Competing alongside my twin brother (Luke McCormack, who has been selected at light-welterweight) will make the tournament event more exciting, and if we both come home with gold, it will definitely put us out there.  We just need to make sure that we perform on the day.”

2014 flyweight world championship silver medalist and 2016 European Championship bronze medalist, Lisa Whiteside said: “It is absolutely fantastic to be selected for the Commonwealth Games, it will be my first multisport event and to represent England on the Gold Coast feels unreal. Boxing’s major tournaments don’t always get covered on TV, so to be competing and knowing that my friends and family back home will be able to watch is going to be out of this world.  I am feeling confident, my ultimate goal is to go out there and win that gold medal. I have a few tournaments coming up in preparation, and I will make sure that when I arrive on the Gold Coast that I’m the fittest and strongest that I’ve ever been.”

Commonwealth Games boxing medals have helped to launch the career of some of England’s best ever boxers including Richie Woodhall, Nicola Adams and James DeGale.

Team Leader Darren Chapple said: Team Leader Darren Chapple said: “I’m pleased that we’ve announced a strong team of 12 athletes. This team has two Olympians and a wealth of experience between them however for the majority of the team this will be their first taste of the Commonwealth Games.

“I know that they are all excited and they are all going to be focused on performing at their best. We know there will be tough competition during the Games especially with strong teams from our other home Nations like Scotland, Wales and Ireland and not forgetting of course our host nation Australia too who will have a huge home following.”

Team England Chef de Mission Sarah Winckless said English boxing is in an extremely strong position and to be able to welcome 12 boxers to the team this week give me great pleasure. The Women’s side of the sport goes from strength to strength and I look forward to working with our 4 talented female athletes. Our male team is also strong and notably contains two brothers, Pat and Luke McCormack, and 2 Olympians alongside 10 debutants. It is an exciting mix and one I look forward to supporting at the Games.”

There is a buzz around British Basketball right now and one of its biggest events is returning back to Arena Birmingham for 2019.

Now the home of the British Basketball Cup Finals, the 2019 edition will see another spectacular event and fans are being urged to grab their tickets and be one of the first to guarantee they get closer to the action.

Set to take place on Sunday 27 January 2019, the exhilarating menu will offer a pair of showpiece games, with the WBBL Cup tipping of the day and the BBL Cup Final taking centre stage after the 2019 Dunk Contest.

With all the usual courtside fun and entertainment in addition to the on-court action, it will be a day you really can’t miss. Tickets are on sale from 9am 11 February 2018.