Injuries blight the sporting Christmas

It has sadly been a week of serious injury in female sport, with acclaimed Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema succumbing to a potentially severe knee problem during the Champions League defeat to Lyon on Thursday evening. 

Despite the loss, Arsenal qualified for the quarter-finals but the only thoughts after the game were centred around Miedema, who fell awkwardly on the stroke of half-time and was clearly in serious pain. 

It is a particularly cruel blow for Arsenal and Miedema, with the Gunners’ England forward Beth Mead, who is also Miedema’s partner, currently recovering from an ACL injury sustained in November. 

There was more tough news in the cricketing world, with England’s teenage sensation Freya Kemp ruled out of the 2023 T20 World Cup with a stress fracture. 

Kemp started to suffer from pains in her back during the current tour of the West Indies and returned home for scans. Unfortunately, she will now miss the tournament in South Africa in February. 

Thankfully, there was some better news from Scotland Rugby, with 28 female players being offered professional contracts.