Underdogs, Champions, and the Managers Rewriting the Rules: A Week in Sport

The Dog Days of Glory

"An underdog is still a freakin' dog."

Junior pitcher Delainey Everett said it into an ESPN microphone on Sunday, still breathless after throwing seven shutout innings to help Mississippi State knock Oklahoma — a program that had won four straight national championships — out of the Women's College World Series. It was the first time the Sooners had been shut out in 399 games. The Bulldogs are heading to the WCWS for the first time in school history.

That sentence — defiant, joyful, disbelieving — could serve as the motto for an extraordinary week in sport, one in which underdogs upset dynasties, managers were celebrated for patience and belief, and players from Hove to London to Bengaluru reminded us why we watch in the first place.

From Hove to History

On a sizzling afternoon on England's south coast, Dani Gibson tore through New Zealand's batting order with a career-best 3-14. The White Ferns were bundled out for just 80 — their eighth-lowest total in T20 cricket. England knocked off the target with 37 balls to spare, sealing a 2-1 series victory and their seventh successive T20 bilateral series win over New Zealand, as BBC Sport reports.

It was clinical. It was dominant. And it set the tone for England's summer — Charlotte Edwards' side will now face India in three T20s before warm-up matches ahead of a home T20 World Cup, which begins against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on 12 June.

Winning had become a habit. The trick, now, was making it mean something when the stakes truly rose.

254 in Mumbai, 93 in 33 Balls

Meanwhile, in a different hemisphere and a different kind of cricket entirely, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar was doing something almost unfathomable. With RCB wobbling at 94-3 in the ninth over — Virat Kohli out for 43 — Patidar launched into the Gujarat Titans attack and hit nine sixes and five fours in a 93 not out from just 33 balls. RCB finished on 254-5, the highest total ever in an IPL playoff, with 126 runs coming from the last seven overs alone.

Gujarat, who had pushed RCB all the way through the league phase, were blown away. England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler made a brisk 29 before being bowled by Josh Hazlewood, but it was never enough. Gujarat were dismissed for 162, losing by 92 runs. RCB are through to the final. The defending champions are defending again.

The Patience of Frank Lampard

Back in England, a different kind of triumph was being honoured. Frank Lampard — the former England midfielder who had spells at Derby, Everton, and two separate stints at Chelsea — was named the League Managers Association manager of the year after guiding Coventry City back to the Premier League. The Sky Blues finished 11 points clear at the top of the Championship, returning to the top flight for the first time since the 2000-01 season.

England manager Thomas Tuchel presented Lampard with the Sir Alex Ferguson award. Ferguson himself sent a letter, which Tuchel read aloud: "I have enjoyed watching you. Best of luck in the Premier League next season."

As veteran manager Tony Pulis noted in his analysis for BBC Sport, the award recognises not just success but the resources available — and what Lampard achieved at Coventry, with patience and structure, was the kind of story that reminds you football management is as much craft as tactics.

Arteta won the Premier League managerial award after leading Arsenal to their first title in 22 years. Manchester City's Andree Jeglertz won the Women's Super League award. Lincoln City's Michael Skubala took the League One honour. Bromley's Andy Woodman won League Two. A full night of recognition for the builders, not just the billionaires.

Wales, Darts, and The O2

And then there was The O2, London, on Thursday night. Two Welsh darts players — Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price — stood on the verge of something they wanted very badly: an all-Welsh Premier League final. Both were underdogs. Clayton was set to face defending champion Luke Humphries; Price was up against reigning world champion Luke Littler.

"It would be great to have an all-Welsh final. We're Welsh and proud," Clayton said. "We've got two very hard Englishmen to beat if we're going to have that final."

The prize? A Premier League trophy and £350,000.

And in Paisley, Relief

Quieter, but no less meaningful: St Mirren's Craig McLeish guided his side to a 2-1 aggregate victory over Partick Thistle in the Premiership play-off final, with Marcus Fraser's goal sealing a 1-0 home win on Monday. Thrust into interim charge in March after manager Stephen Robinson departed for Aberdeen, McLeish had one brief: survive. They did, by the barest of margins.

"I'm privileged that the club put trust in me," McLeish said afterward, carefully leaving the door open for a permanent role.

Why This Week Matters

What ties all of this together isn't trophies or prize money. It's the stubborn, recurring truth that sport keeps delivering: that preparation meets moment, that patience is rewarded, and that the team everyone wrote off can still walk out onto the field and shock the world.

Delainey Everett said it best. An underdog is still a dog. And this week, across five sports and three continents, the dogs bit back hard.