Review of the Year: July to December - Lark is a winner but the Ashes are lost
It has been another busy 12 months for sport in Shropshire and for all our clubs. Here is a look at some of the headlines from the second part of 2025.
July
Ryan Mason addressed the media as new Albion head coach, where he underlined his determination to write his own story at The Hawthorns.
Everybody connected with Wolves and Liverpool and the sporting world mourned the tragic passing of Diogo Jota, aged 28.
The Portugal international, a former Wolves favourite, and his brother Andre Silva died in a horror car crash in northern Spain.
Albion tied up the £4.75million transfer of Norwegian striker Aune Heggebo, while Baggies winger Mikey Johnston was poised to move to Brazilian giants Flamengo of Rio de Janeiro, but the Samba club pulled out due to angry fan backlash
Lando Norris won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for the first time in his career.
Former Shrewsbury Town striker Ryan Bowman was banned from football for three-and-a-half years after admitting 6,397 bets on football between 2015 and 2023 – including 243 he or Salop were involved in.
Jannik Sinner claimed his first Wimbledon title after defeating his great rival Carlos Alcaraz. Iga Swiatek was crowned ladies champion for the first time.
Shropshire hopes for NCCA Trophy cricket glory were dashed in a final defeat to Dorset.
Former Shropshire & Herefordshire golfer Aaron Rai started day two of The Open just two shots off the lead. He finished tied 34th.
England Women became successive European champions. The Lionesses, with former Staffordshire schoolgirl Hannah Hampton between the sticks, beat Spain in the final.
Shropshire swimmer Ollie Morgan, from Ludlow, finished fifth in the World Championship backstroke in Singapore.
The New Saints crashed out of Uefa Conference League at the first hurdle with 2-0 aggregate defeat to Luxembourg outfit Differdange.
August
Wolves’ season got off to a rough start as they lost their first three Premier League matches.
The main focus, outside of the results, was on the transfer window with the future of striker Jorgen Strand Larsen the subject of serious scrutiny after two big money bids from Newcastle.
Wolves turned down offers of £50million and £55m for the Norway international, with the club making clear he was not for sale. Full-backs David Moller Wolfe and Jackson Tchatchoua joined from AZ Alkmaar and Hellas Verona respectively.
Villa made their first big money outlay of the summer with the signing of Evann Guessand from Nice for an initial £23m but Unai Emery’s team endured a poor start to the season, taking just one point from their first three matches to sit just one place above Wolves in the table.
The month ended with Emi Martinez’s future in serious doubt after he was left out of a 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace, with Emery claiming the goalkeeper was not “100 per cent” focused amid reported interest from Manchester United.
West Brom made an impressive start in the Championship, taking 10 points from their opening four matches.
Shrewsbury finished the month without a win and just two points from their opening six games.
England suffered a fifth Test defeat at the Oval as a thrilling series with India ended 2-2.
Chris Woakes, who suffered a dislocated shoulder when fielding on the first day, went out to bat with his left arm in a sling as he looked to help the hosts over the line on a dramatic final morning.
Worcestershire beat Somerset to reach the final of the One-Day Cup.
September
The summer transfer window closed at 7pm on September 1 and there were mixed fortunes for local clubs.
