sports
Sport: What's On This Week? December 16th - 20th, 2024
![Photo: PDPics]()
Photo: PDPics
Another week means another lineup of sports to sink your teeth into.
This time we have international cricket, men’s and women’s cup football and two Yorkshire derbies to keep your spirits up throughout the working week.
Monday 16th December: New Zealand v England - Test Series - 22:00pm
England’s three tests versus New Zealand end this week following a mixed bag of performances. All in all, the Three Lions have performed well, coming through the first test in Christchurch winning by eight wickets.
A second test saw the hosts beaten by one of their old rivals again, as England escaped to the final clash with victory by 323 runs.
A huge stumbling block was hit on Saturday though, when the Kiwis showed up for the second day in Hamilton in style as they disregarded the unassailable overall test lead and took England to the sword, winning by 340 runs.
Even the hot form of superb batsman Harry Brook could not deflect a relentless shower of pinpoint cannonballs from the Black caps’ fast bowlers.
The home side have seemingly turned a corner at this late stage, and looked more up for it after being potentially at the peril of an England grand slam win in their own back garden. It is now up to England to stifle this fight back and return from the sunshine of Hamilton with their a redemption victory to cap off another test series win in 2024, taking it to three out of five heading into the new year.
Date: 16/12/24
Time: 22:00pm
Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand
The match will be shown on TNT Sports and Discovery+
Tuesday 17th December: Women’s Champions League - Real Madrid v Chelsea - 17:45pm
It is a clash of the titans matchup in Group B this week as the
Women’s Champions League continues for the final round of group matches.
Chelsea have been superb in the group stage, with a perfect record meaning they have already qualified and come through the threat of
Los Blancos after beating them 3-2 in October. Something the blues are familiar with, having not lost any of the last five meetings with the Spanish giants.
Madrid will be joining the Blues in the Quarter finals, with FC Twente and Celtic proving miles away from the standard of the English and Spanish giants in the group.
Both will be hoping to get one last advantage before the curtain is drawn on the group stage. Madrid could redeem themselves for their falter at Stamford Bridge, whilst Chelsea will no doubt want a flawless record heading into the next phase.
Date: 17/12/2024
Time: 17:45pm
Venue: Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano
The match will be shown on DAZN UK
![Photo: KeithJJ]()
Photo: KeithJJ
Wednesday 18th December: Pontefract Collieries v Brighouse Town - 19:45pm
A West Yorkshire derby hits The Hunters Stadium in Pontefract, with the visit of
Brighouse Town in the
Pitching In Northern Premier League East Division.
It would be fair to say neither team has lit up the division, although
The Colls may be the better of the two so far, four places above Brighouse in 14th spot. However, when compared to last season, their drop off has been surprising.
Pontefract reached the playoff semi final where they were beaten by Dunston, so to see them failing to get off the ground is unexpected. Their lack of consistent form means even though brandishing a not too negative record (6W 5D 8L), their place in mid-table seems airtight.
A home win could be just the medicine to help the still lingering playoff wounds, and kickstart an upward facing run of form.
A more expected turn of events is the struggles of Brighouse, although 18th place is admittedly an improvement on last season, when they finished one spot below, and were thankfully reprieved from relegation due to Marske United’s resignation from the Northern Premier League.
That close shave has seemingly failed to light a flame under Brighouse, and they look to be on course for another relegation scrap. Although an away win is against the odds with only one accumulated all season, it would be colossal for Town in midweek to return home with all three points.
Date: 18/12/2024
Time: 19:45pm
Venue: The Hunters Stadium, Beechnut Lane, Pontefract, WF8 4FU
Tickets can be purchased at the Hunters Stadium on the day. Adult £9, Concessions £6, U16 £3 unless accompanied by adult, then it is free.
Thursday 19th December: Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - 20:00pm
It might only be December, but we already have quarter finals football upon us as the
EFL Cup is gearing up to whittle eight teams down to four. The last match of the round is one of the biggest as both
Spurs and
Manchester United will be hoping progression in the cup can distract from disappointing league campaigns.
Both quarter finalists are sitting in mid-table, but could well be spurred on following impressive away wins at the weekend.
Postecoglou’s men have had moments this season where they have looked like a team with the potential to be a dangerous opposition for anyone, such as in their impressive two wins over Manchester City. However, a lack of consistency and failure to capitalise on winnable games has left them currently four places short of European qualification for next season.
Ruben Amorim is not long into his tenure in the Red Devils hot seat, but the former Sporting Lisbon boss has already seemed to have teething issues with his new side. Before Sunday’s late dramatic win away to fierce rivals, Manchester City, they only had a solitary win from four in the league. However, a promising 100 percent record in Europe could be a sign of luck for the cup competitions. Success in the cups could be a saving grace for Amorim this season if the inconsistent league form continues in the same vein.
A slice of pride is what both teams are scrambling for at the moment, with the league table revealing major quality issues. The comfort of a trophy or lengthy cup run could be priceless at this point in time.
Date: 19/12/2024
Time: 20:00pm
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
The match will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports+ / Sky Sports Ultra HD / Sky Sports Football / Sky Go Extra / NOW TV UK / Sky Go UK.
Friday 20th December: North Ferriby v Bradford Park Avenue – 19.45pm
Another heated Yorkshire derby rounds off the working weeks action, with
North Ferriby and
Bradford Park Avenue fighting to bolster their respective playoff dreams.
Both teams are hunting down the Pitching In NPL East playoffs. North Ferriby are level on points with Stocksbridge in fifth and only remain outside the playoffs on goal difference. Further down the league in eighth, Bradford Park Avenue are only one point behind their upcoming opponents.
Both teams have the chance to temporarily deflate a fellow member of the promotion chasing pack. Neither team is coming into this one on the hottest of streaks; only two wins from five makes this an important game to get back to form.
Last weekend saw the two sides achieve home wins, which for North Ferriby could signal an uptick in fortunes. The East Yorkshire side have performed slightly better away from the Dransfield Stadium this season, and after not tasting a victory at home for over a month, could quickly become consecutive wins. It does also mean unfortunately for the home side, that Bradford are full of confidence after beating Bridlington. They do not perform horrifically away from home either; they have won the same number of home and away matches this season so far, which makes for a balanced campaign.
Balance may not be what is needed for Bradford this week though. If they want any shot of making a push for promotion, they will have to come strong to North Ferriby and tackle an opponent with strong ambitions of their own. One not to be missed.
Date: 20/12/2024
Time: 19:45pm
Venue: The Dransfield Stadium, Grange Ln, Church Rd, North Ferriby, HU14 3AB
Tickets can be purchased at the Dransfield Stadium on the day. Adult £8, Over 65’s £6, Under 18’s £1, Disabled Free (including carer)