Middlesex end trophy drought

Middlesex lifted the Twenty20 Cup in what was arguably the most thrilling finals day yet. As 5.0 rank outsiders to start the day, Middlesex overcame the odds to dispatch tournament jollies Durham Dynamos with an impressive all-round performance.

Facing defending champions Kent Spitfires in the final, Middlesex were still rank outsiders according to the bookies, but they racked up an impressive 187/6 batting first, largely thanks to superbly crafted innings by Tyron Henderson (43 off 33) and Owais Shah (75 off 35). Shah's innings was timed to perfection, as he was able to rotate the strike while Henderson was striking the ball well, and changed the momentum of the game with three consecutive sixes over deep midwicket off James Tredwell.

Kent's target of 188 should have been far too much on a wearing pitch, but openers Joe Denly (31 off 25) and Robert Key (52 off 30) got them off to a flyer, before Key was eventually dismissed at 89/1 in the ninth over. The Middlesex spin duo of Murali Kartik and Shaun Udal proved frugal, restricting the flow of runs in the middle order, and it was down to Justin Kemp and Azhar Mahmood to score 16 off the final over to be bowled by Tyron Henderson.

Thanks to a wild throw by Dawid Malan at long-on from the third ball of the over, Kent were left needing six off three, but Henderson held his nerve with perfect yorkers at the death, and Middlesex prevailed by three runs. Bizarrely, Henderson was the hero of the hour with figures of 4-0-58-0, although Shah was deservedly man of the match for a match-winning innings. Middlesex lifted the trophy amid wild celebrations, to end their trophy drought of fifteen years.

Nadal wins…again

Rafael Nadal lifted the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Sunday, prevailing 6-3, 6-2 in the final against Germany's Nicolas Kiefer.

It was a tournament notable for several surprise results, with the likes of Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer all falling to promising youngsters. Federer's grip on the no.1 spot is as tenuous as ever, and it seems inevitable that Nadal will take Federer's spot in the next month or so.

It was an impressive tournament for Scotland's Andy Murray, reaching the semi-finals after defeating world no. 3 Djokovic for the first time, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the third round. Murray's sheer variety was too much for the Serb, and he controlled the match to overturn a 4:0 H2H in favour of Djokovic.

Play of the Week

In no way does this column condone violence, but it is hard to stare in astonishment at this following clip, showing a Minor League Baseball brawl between the Dayton Dragons and Peoria Chiefs in Dayton, Ohio.

Let's not ruin the surprise for viewers who haven't seen this clip, but it does not end well…yet as with all of these similar clips, it makes for compelling, car-crash viewing.