Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Meet the cyclist who can earn six figures without leaving...

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Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · 14d

“A lot of people think: ‘What is this guy doing?’ But the money is so good and it’s an easy lifestyle. I’m my own boss.”

Meet the cyclists earning more competing virtually from their own living rooms than they did as top-tier road-racing professionals.

More riders are turning to e-racing, despite the snobbery in the peloton

Comment: To hell with consequences, the Enhanced Games is...

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · 27d

The Enhanced Games is dangerous, exploitative and those in charge could not care less about sport.

It is all about money, and to hell with the consequences.

American sprinter Fred Kerley’s addition to the games shows athletes are merely pawns ripe for exploiting

Harry Brook has a dilemma as England search for more meaning

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Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Sep 6

What does all this cricket mean?

The continued global formats forces England to solve their own malaise

Rope hope: meet the 72-year-old heaving hard for England’s tug of war team

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Sep 5

Last month, I wrote about the world's greatest air hockey player. Now, it's on to tug of war (where England/Britain this weekend bid for an unprecedented golden summer).

To think I got ditched from my last job because athletics is supposedly too niche...

After helping Great Britain win gold at the World Games last month, lifelong puller Richard Keightley is competing again in the world championships in Nottingham this weekend

Southern Brave and Oval Invincibles shine as Hundred’s po...

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 31

Ahead of Sunday’s finals, an overview of The Hundred season in a series of exactly 100-word sections.

A task that started off oddly enjoyable and ended with a wish to never again count words.

We wrap up 2025’s The Hundred in a series of 100-word snippets

Seamus Derbyshire sashays towards track stardom

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 27

Seamus Derbyshire's story is important, because sport is for everyone.
observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

Ahead of his World Championship debut, the openly gay hurdler has gone viral on TikTok for his starting line routines

SACA: The growing success of Asian talent factory is a le...

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 25

This season, eight players have emerged from the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) to earn professional contracts, including four in the past month alone.

A huge success story that tells a deeper tale.

Breakthrough for South Asian Cricket Academy as more of their players go pro

Dango Ouattara sees off Aston Villa as Brentford give Keith Andrews first win

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 23

Two sets of worried fans turned up. Now there is only one.

Brilliantly drilled Brentford, woefully impotent Aston Villa.

A debut goal from Brentford’s record signing combined with stubborn defending secured a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa

Rivalry and role models: the benefit of a cricketing brother

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 20

There are 14 sets of brothers playing first-team county cricket this season.

The Rew and Ahmed duos follow in a long history of fraternal competition

‘I went from world champ to mopping floors’: Colin Cummings, the greatest air hockey player of all time

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 19

Ignored by the masses, but adored by a select few.

Meet Colin Cummings, the greatest air hockey player of all time.

The Hawaii-based Cummings is hoping to parlay his family’s air hockey dynasty into a more prominent future for the sport

Wedding venues and club pitches: where 50-over cricket we...

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 10

A once-great competition pushed to English cricket’s unloved margins. Welcome to the One-Day Cup in 2025.

The unloved One-Day Cup has been downgraded to little more than a development competition

Hirst’s late penalty earns Ipswich draw with Birmingham in Championship opener

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Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 8

A couple of harsh decisions went against them, but plenty to hearten Birmingham fans after a dominant start to what they hope will be a Premier League promotion campaign.

Match report from Birmingham City 1-1 Ipswich Town.

The Ipswich striker fired home from the spot in the 95th minute to earn a 1-1 draw at Birmingham on the opening night of the Championship season

Asher-Smith surges to 200m win and competition best at UK championships

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 3

Mid-season upheavals are avoided in athletics, but last month Dina Asher-Smith left her American coaching setup and returned to London.

Now happy again, she claimed the British 200m title in a time quick enough for last year’s Olympic podium.

The sprinter clocked 22.14secs to edge out Amy Hunt in the women’s 200m, while Zharnel Hughes also ran a championship best in the men’s 200m

Burgin and Caudery dispel their demons as they target glo...

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 3

With none of GB’s five Olympic medalists contesting their primary event this weekend, it’s over to the next generation to shine at UK Championships.

Step forward Max Burgin, Molly Caudery, Amber Anning, Charlie Dobson and the rest…

With stars of the Olympics absent, new generation hope to stake their claim

Zharnel Hughes dedicates British 100m title to aunt after missing her funeral to race

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 2

- Zharnel Hughes misses his aunt’s funeral to win British 100m title.
- Amy Hunt clocks another PB after harsh Daryll Neita DQ.
- Molly Caudery says Olympic pole vault disaster is forgotten history.

Zharnel Hughes won the men’s 100m while Amy Hunt won the women’s 100m at the British athletics championships

A Day for Thorpey: Cricket still learning how to deal wit...

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 1

Over the first half of this year, the Professional Cricketers’ Association referred 79 cases for mental health treatment, putting it on track for its highest ever annual figure.

Is there a link between cricket and depression? And if so, then why?

With mental health referrals in the game at a high, a new book is trying to find answers

Hunter Bell’s dilemma over audacious bid for double world athletics glory

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Aug 1

Georgia Hunter Bell will next week ask to be selected for the 800m and 1,500m at the World Championships. But actually contesting both events is another matter.

Middle-distance runner heads into this weekend’s UK Championships in Birmingham with a tricky decision looming

Non-league football: How 'Wrexham effect' is trickling down

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Jul 31

The Wrexham Effect: How non-league football became glamorous (with Hollywood’s help)

Celebrities, publicity-hungry entrepreneurs, social media gurus, foreign investors and an attendance increase of almost 50% in five years

The 'Wrexham effect' is spreading as famous faces invest in non-league football, bringing higher attendances and bigger dreams.

www.bbc.com

World Athletics monitoring outstanding Grand Slam Track payments to athletes

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Jul 21

“It’s not good. There is no point in pretending this is a satisfactory situation.”

Seb Coe says World Athletics is closely monitoring Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track with athletes still waiting to be paid.

World Athletic president Sebastian Coe said: ‘It’s not good’ as athletes wait on payments from the series, which was cut from four meetings to three last month

Poorer county cricket clubs count on the magic of The Hun...

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Jul 21

The Hundred is accentuating a "yawning gap" between county cricket's rich and poor. But it's also providing clubs a lifeline for their survival.

Windfalls from franchise could keep the more traditional form of the sport running

Hunter Bell contends with double trouble after winning London Diamond League 800m

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Jul 20

What does a 1500m specialist do when they cannot stop winning over 800m?

Georgia Hunter Bell could attempt an audacious World Championships double. It depends what Kelly Holmes (the last woman to win Olympic 800m and 1500m gold) says.

Georgia Hunter Bell, a 1500m specialist, said she will reach out to Kelly Holmes over her worlds dilemma while Phanuel Koech stunned home hope Josh Kerr in the men’s 1500m

London Diamond League: Time for UK Athletics to accentuat...

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Jul 13

Positivity has been in short supply for athletics in Britain over recent years. It would be great to have it stay.

Sell-out event and new sponsorship deal should be the boost needed to get the sport thriving

Duke out as County Championship switches to Kookaburra ball

Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Jun 25

This week, Faith Kipyegon will attempt to become the first woman ever to run a mile in under 4 minutes. It's contrived and won't count as an official time... but it's compelling and great for the sport.

Read the whole @athleticsweekly.com piece here: athleticsweekly.com/news/opinion...

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Ben Bloom @benbloomsport.bsky.social · Jun 23

While England's Test bowlers battle India with the country's traditional Dukes ball, their county counterparts are spending the next few red-ball games using a Kookaburra.

It's all in the hope of generating more spin and greater speed.

The controversial Kookaburra ball will be used for all four upcoming peak summer County Championship rounds