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Eye-watering salaries are expected by any player at a top club these days, meaning wage bills across the continent continue to soar

UEFA has revealed the 20 clubs with the highest wage bills across the 2018 financial year in its annual Club Licensing Benchmarking Report, with Barcelona and Real Madrid once again splashing the most cash. 

A record 35 clubs in Europe boasted wage bills of over €100 million across 2018, while the Catalans have become the first side to boast a wage total in excess of €500m. 

Though La Liga's two biggest clubs have spent the most individually, Premier League sides make up nine of the 20 clubs with the highest wage bills.

Getty20Crystal Palace | €132m (£113m/$147m)AdvertisementGetty19Monaco | €133m (£114m/$148m)Getty Images18Leicester City | €134m (£115m/$149m)ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images17AC Milan | €150m (£129m/$167m)

With the Super Bowl upon us, we take a look at the top comparisons between franchises from American football and the top European powers

It's Super Bowl Sunday next week!

The NFL championship game this year sees the New England Patriots, looking to win thier third title in five years and sixth in the Tom Brady era, taking on the Los Angeles Rams.

With the biggest game on the American football schedule set to kickoff in a matter of days, we thought it would be entertaining to draw comparison between NFL teams and the top European football powers. 

There's plenty of room for debate and the similarities are more apples-to-orages than apples-to-apples, but you can draw plenty of comparisons between organizations across the two sports. 

Without further ado, we bring you Goal's list of the top 10 comparisons between NFL franchises and your favortie European football clubs. 

Getty Images1Paris Saint-Germain – Carolina Panthers

If such thing as the newly rich exists in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers are probably the best example. The Panthers began play in 1995, but made just four playoff appearances through their first 14 seasons. But, unlike PSG, it wasn't money from a new ownership group that lifted the team, it was the drafting of a superstar in 2011, when Carolina took Cam Newton with the first overall pick in the NFL draft. 

That same year Paris Saint-Germain was bought Oryx Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), and like the Panthers their fortunes turned quickly.

The Panthers with Newton have now made the playoffs four times in six years, with three division titles one Super Bowl appearance, while PSG has won five titles in Ligue 1. 

The big prize is still there to be chased for both teams, but in Neymar PSG may have found the global superstar they need to win the Champions League, and the Panthers look primed to stay in contention in the NFL for as long as Newton can stay healthy. 

AdvertisementGetty Images2Manchester United – Minnesota Vikings

We get it, this is the biggest reach of the group. 

You almost have to throw out the Alex Ferguson years to make this compute, because the sustained greatest of the Red Devils through that period simplay can't be matched, but hear us out. 

These two proud franchises fell on hard times in recent years, but have both had something of a resurgence based around conservative play and brilliant defensive play. The Vikings are loaded on the defensive side of the ball and, like Manchester United, have plenty of exciting young players who can put up points. 

The Vikes fell short in the NFL playoffs this season, but have all the building blocks to bring home a championship in the next few years, and while Manchester United isn't likely to win a trophy in 2018, anything seems possible under interim coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Getty Images3Leicester City – Baltimore Ravens

Two random champions with star players who could do no wrong in their charge to the title, Leicester City and the Baltimore Ravens fit as the two biggest Cinderella stories of the past decade and a half. 

Only once in the last 15 years has the AFC title been won by a quarterback not named Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger, and just one team not named Chelsea, Manchester United or Manchester City has claimed the Premier League in the last 13 seasons.

Joe Flacco pulled off "the Mile High miracle" to top Manning and the Broncos before routing Brady's Patriots in the AFC title game during the Ravens march to the Super Bowl title following the 2012 season. Jaime Vardy's 24-goal haul for the Foxes during the 2015/16 Premier League season, including a record run of scoring in eleven consecutive Premier League games, sparked Leicester to one of the most improbable title wins in the history of team sports.

Neither player has managed to reach the same heights in subsequent years, and losses of other stars around them have limited their teams to being also-rans. 

It's not apples to apples here. Leicester City's title win came over clubs with much bigger budgets and the odds of it ever happening again are slim at best, while the Ravens play in a league where the rules promote parity and could easily become a contender again in the near future.

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Getty Images4Juventus – Denver Broncos

The comparisons between Juventus and the Denver Broncos stem largely from how both teams played in 2015.

Juventus' run to the Champions League final that year was built around a fierce commitment to defending as a team and a conservative but opportunistic attacking approach while the Denver Broncos leaned on a dominant defensive unit throughout the 2015 NFL season, winning Super Bowl 50 in February of 2016. 

Both teams also relied heavily on newly acquired star players who were on the downside of their careers. Carlos Tevez lead the line for the Serie A champions that season in what was his last run as a true force at the top of the global game. The Broncos had Peyton Manning, in the last year of his storied career, under center.

The biggest difference here, aside from playing completely different sports, is that the Broncos defense proved too much for Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl, while Juventus couldn't keep pace with Barcelona's attack in the Champions League final. 

Barcelona have used CGI technology to reveal what Camp Nou will look like once a spectacular €1.5 billion (£1.3bn/$1.6bn) upgrade is completed.

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La Liga giants upgrading their famous homePlaying at the Olympic Stadium for nowHope to see construction completed in 18 monthsWHAT HAPPENED?

The elaborate Espai Barca renovation project has been in the pipework for some time, with the Catalan giants having to work hard in order to put the relevant finances in place. Construction is now well underway, with one of the most famous venues in football being stripped back to the bare bones.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Defending La Liga champions Barca are playing home games at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium while Camp Nou is given a facelift that is expected to take around 18 months to complete – with the iconic ground in need of modernisation to bring it screaming into the 21st century.

DID YOU KNOW?

Barcelona have posted a video on social media showing supporters around the world what Sportify Camp Nou will become once work is finished – with a spectacular new home being delivered for the Catalan giants.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

A domed roof is being added to Camp Nou, which leaves about one third of the pitch open to the elements through a central aperture, while the famous steep stands will flare out away from the ground as every effort is made to make the stadium as intimidating and atmospheric as possible.

New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI series in Bangladesh and the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka because of a fractured thumb

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2013New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI series in Bangladesh and the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka because of a fractured thumb. Williamson will return to New Zealand today and Luke Ronchi will join the squad as a replacement for the remaining Bangladesh ODIs.The injury, which will require up to six weeks recovery time, makes him doubtful for the opening Test against West Indies, in Dunedin, which begins on December 3.In the absence of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, Williamson was supposed to lead New Zealand in the three ODIs and two Twenty20s in Sri Lanka. New Zealand’s selectors are yet to announce the replacement captain and player for that tour.Williamson was struck on the thumb while fielding at point in the 35th over of Bangladesh’s innings in the first ODI in Mirpur and immediately left the field. His left thumb was dislocated and an x-ray confirmed a small fracture.”This kind of injury unfortunately means Kane cannot take part in the rest of the tour and he will return to New Zealand to begin his rehabilitation,” New Zealand physiotherapist Paul Close said. “Kane is about six weeks away from playing again at this stage.”

Manoj Tiwary feels he has matured as a person and that it has brought him more consistency, as reflected in two centuries and two fifties from his last four List-A innings

Abhishek Purohit30-Nov-2014Manoj Tiwary made his India debut in February 2008. In close to seven years, he has been given nine ODIs, but even those have been limited to an odd game or two in a series. Forget a full series, he has never played three successive matches.He would understandably become stressed at the lack of opportunities, but has stopped doing that now, he says. Tiwary no longer worries about India selection when he walks out to bat. He feels he has matured as a person and that it has brought more consistency, as reflected in two centuries and two fifties in his last four List-A innings, the latest being a match-winning 151 off 121 against North Zone in the Deodhar Trophy semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium.”To be honest with you, I don’t carry excess luggage while I go in to bat. Earlier I used to carry lot of baggage,” Tiwary said. “I used to think about other people who are watching, I have to impress them, I have to play on the up, I have to play lofted shots like others but over a period of time I have realised what is my game and tried to improve on that. That helped me a lot. I have become more consistent now. No added pressure. I just go out there, watch the ball and play my game.”In the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy final, Tiwary had made a second-innings 94 against Mumbai at the same Wankhede Stadium in the company of Sourav Ganguly, who scored 90. Tiwary said the difference between him then and now was that he had toned down his aggression.”Earlier I used to be very aggressive, now I have calmed down a bit. Earlier I used to be very short-tempered. I used to get upset about a lot of things, cricket as well as off the field. Earlier I used to throw away my wicket in the middle phase.”But as you grow older you tend to become more mature, that helped me in my batting as well. I know my game really better than before. The injuries that happened to me also gave me a lot of time to think about my game as a cricketer and also as a person.”Tiwary credited his family for the change in his personality and his game. “I spent a lot of time with myself and my family members have helped me a lot during my injury phase, made me realise what you have to do next, think about yourself, your game. Earlier I used to watch a lot of motivational videos as you all know. That also helped me a lot.”He may not fret over India selection like he used to but he hopes for another chance with the national team, and a decent run. “I hope and I believe that I will get an opportunity and when I get an opportunity, I think it will be a longer rope I guess. I am just hoping and hoping that I get into the team again.”Whoever is there in the team have also done really well for themselves and have performed at the given stages of their careers. It is very difficult to get into the team nowadays. Everybody scores runs. I wish I could play a lot of matches on wickets provided here, and in Rajkot.”

Queensland made a dream start in their campaign for a hat-trick of one-day titles, crushing Victoria by nine wickets in the season opener at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2014
Scorecard
Ben Cutting collected 3 for 13•Getty ImagesQueensland made a dream start in their campaign for a hat-trick of one-day titles, crushing Victoria by nine wickets in the season opener at the Gabba. The Bushrangers were sent in by Queensland captain James Hopes and rapidly capitulated to the pace of Mark Steketee, Ben Cutting and Luke Feldman, who skittled them for 111 in only 38 overs.Steketee, who made his one-day debut for the National Performance Squad during the winter, was playing his first game for Queensland and proved a handful, collecting 4 for 29 from eight overs. His wickets included those of Victoria’s captain Matthew Wade, caught behind for 13, and former skipper Cameron White, bowled for 6.Cutting picked up 3 for 13 and Feldman took 2 for 25 as Victoria’s batting line-up crumbled, with Peter Handscomb (20) the only man to get past the teens. Queensland’s chase could hardly have gone better as Usman Khawaja and Chris Hartley put on 93 for the first wicket and threatened to overtake Victoria without loss.However, on 38 Khawaja was stumped off the spin of Jon Holland, which brought Joe Burns to the crease. Burns (11 not out) and Hartley (46 not out) cruised past Victoria’s total in the 22nd over, ensuring that the first result of the newly-named Matador BBQs One-Day Cup was a thorough roasting of the visitors.

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke has given a decidedly strong indication he wants David Warner in his first Test team, despite the left-hander’s lack of match preparation

Daniel Brettig at New Road05-Jul-2013Australia’s captain Michael Clarke has given a decidedly strong indication he wants David Warner in his first Test team, despite the left-hander’s lack of match preparation. It will now be a matter of whether or not the selectors agree with reinstating Warner immediately after his suspension for punching Joe Root, or demure for reasons of Test match readiness.Speaking for the first time since the day of Mickey Arthur’s replacement as the national team coach by Darren Lehmann and his resignation as a selector, Clarke expressed the staunch view that Warner has now served his punishment for events at the Walkabout in Birmingham during the Champions Trophy, and that the left-hander is not the kind of player to need matches behind him in order to feel confident.Should Warner be chosen it will be in a middle order role, after Lehmann confirmed Shane Watson and Chris Rogers had been inked in as opening batsmen for the series. The concept of a powerful counter-puncher at No. 6 has grown on the tourists, though his selection would not only run contrary to Warner’s lack of preparation but his form before that. Scores of 0, 0 and 9 in his three innings so far in Britain followed on from an indifferent IPL and a poor Test series against India.”He’s certainly served his punishment,” Clarke said, echoing Lehmann’s words about Warner having a “clean slate” under the new regime. “His punishment was no cricket up until the first Test match and now it’s about working out what our best team is. I don’t believe David won’t be selected because of punishment. I think that’s been dealt with. It’ll be about working out our best team.”Certainly the selectors are going to take into consideration that he hasn’t played much cricket over the past couple of weeks but on the other side of that the type of player Davey is it’s more about his mind being clear and playing with that intent. I don’t think Dave is the type of player that needs two four day games to make some runs to feel confident.”If he’s in the right place batting well in the nets I’m confident if the selectors do decide to pick him he can walk straight out onto the first Test to make a hundred.”I pick the batting order – Clarke

Though he is happy to no longer be a selector, Michael Clarke has stressed his authority over the composition of the Australian batting order, after the coach Darren Lehmann confirmed the selection of Shane Watson and Chris Rogers as the team’s openers to face England.

Lehmann’s confident declaration of first Watson and then Rogers as openers was a departure from the natural order of things, and Clarke politely refused to acknowledge the finality of the decision. However he did indicate that Watson and Rogers were discussed as a likely opening pair well before Lehmann’s arrival.

“I haven’t picked the batting order yet but I will do at some stage,” Clarke said. “Chris and Shane have certainly put their hand up as opening batters in the tour games but in regards to the batting order it hasn’t been selected. I haven’t got an 11 player team to pick the batting order at this stage.

“There has certainly been some communication over the last few months since coming back from India with Shane about where he wants to bat, where I see him most suited to the team. Then obviously once Chris was selected on this tour there was some communication there from both Mickey Arthur and myself. We will wait and see.”

Apart from their fitness and persistence, Clarke and the selectors gained little in the way of relevant knowledge about their bowlers on the final day at New Road. It was a fitting name for the ground given the way the pitch behaved, steadfastly refusing to break up or offer anything but the most minimal assistance. There has been some speculation about Peter Siddle’s place given a lack of wickets, but Clarke spoke generously of the most experienced fast bowler at his disposal.”Form certainly helps but Sidds has been a strike weapon for us over the last couple of years,” Clarke said. “The selectors will pick the best attack, you don’t necessarily have to be one of the best bowlers, it will be a complementary attack that helps us have success in the conditions we’re about to face. I think it’s one of his strengths. But they will need to pick an attack, not an individual bowler.”While admittedly close to Arthur, Clarke said the team had settled quickly following Lehmann’s appointment, and spoke happily of the displays put on against Somerset and Worcestershire, which suggested a team growing in confidence, unity and belief in their skills. For this he joined the rest of the squad in praising Lehmann, recalling their earlier time in the Test team together.”We’re talking more about old times, that’s for sure,” Clarke said. “I was lucky enough to play a fair bit of cricket with Darren so it’s nice to be back talking cricket with him. He’s got an amazing amount of knowledge about the game. I guess we’ve got a lot of similarities in the way we want to play. I had a great relationship with Mickey and I still do. The people who know Darren and know me know we were very close when we were playing as well.”There’s no doubt the boys have handled what’s happened over the past month as well as they possibly could I think our momentum is slowly building. I think our performance in both four-dayers, there are a lot of positives to take out of both games. We’re just about ready to play this first Test.”

England will return to the scene of the 10-ball Test match when they play in Antigua on their tour of the West Indies next April.

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2014England will return to the scene of the 10-ball Test match when they play in Antigua on their tour of the West Indies next April.The schedule for the three Test series was revealed following some political wrangling – an England Test is extremely valuable to Caribbean islands heavily reliant on tourism – with Barbados and Grenada the other venues.In 2009 the Antigua Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was abandoned after only 1.4 overs with the sandy outfield deemed a safety risk to the players. A replacement match at the Antigua Recreation Ground was hastily arranged which was thrillingly drawn with West Indies nine wickets down. England returned to North Sound earlier this year during their limited-overs tour.Meanwhile, Grenada will stage its first Test since 2009. The National Cricket Stadium in St George’s took over from the old Queen’s Park ground as Grenada’s international venue in 1999 but since then has only staged two Tests – against New Zealand in 2002 and Bangladesh in 2009.The ground has also staged 19 ODIs but England have never played on the island, meaning Grenada will welcome an influx of England supporters for the first time next April.England in West Indies 2014-15

April 13-17, 1st Test, Antigua

April 21-25, 2nd Test, Grenada

May 1-5, 3rd Test, Barbados

England will also return to the Kensingston Oval in Barbados, a traditional favourite with the travelling supporters, where England were West Indies’ first opponents in 1930. The teams played three T20s on the ground in March.”We know the venues will prove extremely popular with the thousands of cricket lovers who follow England to the Caribbean,” Paul Downton, Managing Director England Cricket, said. “It will also be exciting for many to visit the new venue of Grenada for the first time.”The West Indies tour is part of a packed 2015 for England which is likely to see them playing in every month of the year. They will be in Australia and New Zealand from January to March for the World Cup and a warm-up triangular series, then after visiting West Indies they host New Zealand at home before an Ashes series. Later in the year they are scheduled to play Pakistan in the UAE before a tour of South Africa.A further indication of England’s heavy workload is that three days after the final West Indies Test finishes they are set to play Ireland in an ODI in Dublin on May 8.

AB de Villiers, the South Africa captain, said he expected India to bounce back in the third ODI, after his side beat the visitors by 134 runs to win the second ODI and the series in Durban

Sidharth Monga in Durban08-Dec-20130:00

A big series win for SA – AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers said he was happy with the hold that South Africa’s bowlers had established over India’s batsmen•Getty ImagesBeat the No. 1 side by 141 runs. Beat them again by 134. In the first game, put them under a mountain of runs and straitjacket them with exceptional quick bowling. In the next, watch the same batsmen capitulate through low-percentage shots. This tour has all the makings of being to South Africa what the West Indies series was to India in November. And never mind what Dale Steyn feels, South Africa’s elder statesmen are not getting ahead of themselves. AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla both laughed heartily when asked if this Indian team was proving to be too easy, but they wouldn’t get drawn into making what could be seen as inappropriate statements that might come back to bite them later.De Villiers was at pains to not be seen as arrogant when ahead. When asked if it was becoming a bit easy, because it felt so from the outside, de Villiers repeated the “no” five times.”They are a world-class unit,” de Villiers said. “They are world champions. I can go for an hour if I talk about the Indian team. [I] still expect them to come back in the third ODI. A lot of pride to play for. It will be massive for us to beat them 3-0. A lot to play for. They are still a world-class unit. We will always have respect for them as a team.”After his press conference, de Villiers moved to the right, and gave unassuming Hashim Amla the seat in front of the microphones. Now Amla and Quinton de Kock have added more than 150 in back-to-back games against India’s bowling, becoming only the second pair in ODIs to do so. At times in the Durban ODI, it looked like they were not tested at all. Like de Villiers, Amla, too, was asked if the Indian bowling was “easy meat” for the openers.Amla let out a loud laugh and said, “You want such a controversial thing for me to say.”After everyone had had their laughs and drawn their own inferences, Amla went on to say: “Nothing at all like that. Fortunately for me and Quinny [de Kock] – to score runs you need things to go your way. In both games, we could have got caught with leading edges, caught third man… Things have just gone our way in the last two games. India have bowled well upfront. We haven’t gone off to blistering starts, just knocked it around a bit and bided our time. In the first game, AB and JP [Duminy] were the guys who did a bulk of the damage at the back end. Before that, they had bowled quite well. So there is no such thing as easy meat. We have fortunately got things going our way.”Having said that, de Villiers was pretty pleased his side had beaten the No. 1 side in ODIs so comprehensively in successive matches.”We are nowhere near the No. 1 team in the world at the moment even though we have beaten them two in a row now,” de Villiers said. “We know tournaments like the World Cup, they are about 11 games, this is just two in a row. It’s definitely a step in the right direction, but in a humble way we would like to work hard on our game and make sure we still compete with the best in the world consistently.”Steyn’s remarks that a few of the Indian batsmen might have been scared were still being talked about, but de Villiers also said that his batsmen have been setting up the games. He was “chuffed” that his lower order got him crucial runs in this match – especially the 29 in the last two overs – that turned a total just over par into a superlative one. Especially given South Africa’s bowling, which now seems to have established a hold on the Indian batsmen.”Hopefully, we did scare off a few of their batters going into the final ODI and the Test series,” de Villiers said. “It’s always nice to sort of scare a few batters going into a big series like this, especially a batting line-up like the Indian team has. I think they are very talented and to sort of get under their skin is always important, especially in home conditions.”

Yorkshire looked back on last year’s Scarborough matches with mixed feelings but those memories might be put to bed if they can finish off Sussex from a position they will be anxious not to waste.

Jon Culley at North Marine Road17-Aug-2014
ScorecardKane Williamson converted his first Yorkshire hundred into 189•Getty ImagesYorkshire looked back on last year’s Scarborough matches with mixed feelings after the defeat against Durham here proved so influential in the outcome of the title race but that memory might be put to bed if they can finish off Sussex from a position they will be anxious not to waste.To do so would consolidate their lead in the County Championship with four matches remaining and take them a significant stride towards the prize if Nottinghamshire somehow let their chance slip at Northampton.A brisk half-century from Luke Wright has probably taken an innings victory out of the list of possibilities but with four wickets lost Sussex will need to bat with a good deal of resolve to deny Yorkshire any kind of win.Yorkshire have reaped full value for the moment of good fortune they enjoyed on Saturday when Kane Williamson was allowed to continue his innings on 16 after Sussex claimed they had him caught at second slip. Williamson went on to make his first century for the county in first-class games at the 20th attempt and almost turned it into a double.He had made 189 when an eight-hour innings finally ended when he was deceived by a flighted ball from Luke Wells, the occasional legspinner in Sussex’s bowling pack, and gave a return catch.Williamson confirmed last night that he had accepted the fielder’s word after querying the catch claimed by James Tredwell at second slip and was on his way back to the pavilion before he realised that umpires Graham Lloyd and Peter Hartley could not give an unequivocal verdict on whether the ball carried.”I asked the fielder and accepted his word but the umpires got together and decided they could not give it out,” Williamson said.It was a moment that Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire might have more cause to regret than Sussex in the long run, aggrieved though Sussex felt at the time. When Williamson raised his bat to acknowledge the applause of the Festival crowd, there was a definite hint of sarcasm as one or two Sussex fielders joined in.Yorkshire were clearly determined not to allow their opportunity to go to waste. They were 55 for 2 when the catch was claimed and 57 for 3 soon afterwards. Overnight, they were still 110 behind, even after Jonny Bairstow’s excellent 77.A poor first hour for Yorkshire yesterday might have brought memories of Durham’s win back into the forefront of their minds but instead Adil Rashid was the only casualty of the morning.Indeed, they did not lose another wicket against Sussex’s inexperienced attack until Wells, whose 3 for 38 was a career best, dismissed Tim Bresnan, also via a return catch, moments before tea. Bresnan’s 61 contributed to a partnership with Williamson that added 157, a record for Yorkshire’s seventh wicket against Sussex.As a timely bonus, they scored quickly enough to take maximum batting points for Yorkshire. Williamson was superb, barely making another error before his dismissal.By this point Yorkshire had seized a clear advantage but there was more to come as Jack Brooks and Ryan Sidebottom took advantage of Sussex’s weary bowling to push the total to 493.Tails up, and bowling with good control despite a fierce crosswind, Yorkshire’s new ball pair claimed three wickets in the opening 10 overs of Sussex’s second innings.Sidebottom beat a fulsome drive by Wells and had first-innings centurion Ed Joyce leg before; Brooks had Chris Nash caught behind two balls after being dropped at first slip. When Bresnan got in on the act as Craig Cachopa edged to second slip, Sussex were 48 for 4.Wright played with his customary freedom, scoring 56 from only 60 balls, but will need to graft on the final day if there is to be any denying Yorkshire.