When the Kia Super League launches on Saturday with a clash between the Yorkshire Diamonds and Loughborough Lightning, Headingley will showcase a raft of intriguing - and exciting - contests. Yorkshire and Englands fiery Katherine Brunt will resume her long-standing contest with the brilliant Ellyse Perry, aided by the insight of Perrys New South Wales captain and Australian vice-captain Alex Blackwell. Following on from an outstanding summer with the bat for her country, Lauren Winfield will go head-to-head with England team-mate Georgia Elwiss and face one of New Zealands best all-rounders in Sophie Devine.There is much to anticipate in this watershed competition. Never has there been such a concentration of elite female players in a domestic tournament - the KSL has six teams compared to Australias eight in the Womens BBL. Each side contains three internationals, three England contracted players and two England Academy signings. The even spread of talent should make for tight contests and a competitive league that displays the best skills the womens game has to offer.On Sunday at the Ageas Bowl, former England captain and legend of the womens game, Charlotte Edwards, will call on her Southern Vipers cohorts - New Zealand captain and Wisdens Womens Cricketer of the Year, Suzie Bates, and one of the most explosive T20 batsmen in the womens game, fellow New Zealander Sara McGlashan - to tackle a Surrey Stars line up boasting Nat Sciver, hot off blasting the fastest ever 50 in a womens ODI - and Marizanne Kapp, the outstanding South African allrounder.And yet, six months after the inaugural WBBL in Australia surpassed all expectations to become a massive success, drawing unprecedented crowds, television audiences and mainstream media coverage, there is a sense this competition will be low key in comparison. No matches will be televised and only a limited number - seven in total - will be broadcast on BBC radio. In a month during which Englands men continue their Test series against Pakistan and the Olympics takes centre stage in Rio there is a danger the competition could fly so far under the sporting radar it may struggle to register with the mainstream sports media.It is, perhaps, unfair to expect the KSL to deliver the same success as the WBBL. The Australian competition piggy-backed on the mens competition, with the marketing, merchandise and fan-base already put in place by five years of the BBL, which has itself been a roaring success in the Australian sporting landscape. England, with its internal prevaricating over the make-up of a mens domestic T20 tournament which has limited television coverage, has had to start from scratch with new teams and no established fan base to leverage.In many ways the ECB is now trying to overcome many years of neglect by those formerly in charge of womens domestic cricket. There has been no strong pyramid structure, as there has been in Australia. Instead, the focus has been on developing international players through the high-performance academy based at Loughborough. This top-heavy approach is at least partly responsible for the environment that required such a significant shake up in the national side this year; the lack of players forcing their way into the England side through outstanding performances in the county game meant there was stagnation at the top.Consider the difference in the advent of professional contracts: when Cricket Australia started paying modest full-time wages to the Southern Stars in 2013, they also set aside money for players contracted to each of the six state associations. The domestic 50-over and T20 competitions were already well established and supported, with the T20 final regularly broadcast before the mens final as a double header. By the time the WBBL was launched, it wasnt a success just because it could leverage the success of the BBL; the standard of play was lifted by the fact the domestic players were coming into their third season of being semi-professional.When the ECB announced central contracts - a huge and welcome step for the advancement of female cricketers - in the summer of 2014, there was no investment at the next level; it remained an unwieldy and bloated amateur competition, in which players had limited training opportunities and often had to pay for extra net sessions, training kits and transport to matches. After Edwards returned from playing domestic cricket in Australia, during the 2014-15 season, she spoke openly about how the level of professionalism in the state competition had been a revelation and was miles ahead of the county competition. Even now, the difference in payments for domestic players is notable. Unlike CA, the ECB doesnt publish the amount it pays players, but ESPNcricinfo understands that while the retainers for internationals are comparable to the WBBL - where all players received between AUD $3000 and $10,000 for that competition in year one, in addition to the $7000 they received for the domestic ODI competition - the non-contracted players in the KSL will be paid a match fee of around ￡150 plus basic expenses.The biggest difference lies in broadcasting. Cricket Australia had enough confidence in the players and their product to pay free-to-air broadcaster, Ten, around AUD $500,000 to offset the production costs of televising six group matches and the final as double-headers. Initially, the matches were shown on Tens second digital channel but they drew such big audiences that Ten executives moved some matches to their main channel, which proved an unprecedented success, and decided to additionally broadcast both semi-finals, at their own cost. It was a classic case of putting prominent real estate in a shop-window and letting the audience decide whether or not to buy. They bought beyond all expectations.There is some doubt whether the same level of confidence exists in England. Organisers have been racing against the clock to pull the elements of the tournament together in a short time frame; subsequently the announcement of the teams and the schedule was late enough to make it difficult to guarantee the presence of international stars when initial conversations over broadcasters began. There is certainly not the budget allocated to offer Sky the same kind of deal CA offered Ten to ensure coverage or live stream matches. The final wont be televised as it falls on the reserve day after the T20 Blast Finals Day, with Sky reportedly unable to commit outside broadcast facilities to cover both, if the need should arise.Instead, Sky will produce a behind-the-scenes feature programme and have at least some single camera highlights from certain matches. Despite this being a new competition, the ECBs rights deal with Sky prevents anyone else from broadcasting the games, but their digital arm also plans to make some highlights available and will have a single HD camera at every game. In any case, no games can currently be broadcast on television or radio from Loughborough, because of the lack of infrastructure.The ECB has also, perhaps, missed the opportunity to aggressively promote the game in its inaugural season through double-headers. While the KSL starts during the final stages of the T20 Blast, it could have been launched with double-headers in the final group matches of the mens competition and continued with more shared fixtures in the qualifiers. Instead, Lancashire Thunder will play a warm-up match against Loughborough at Old Trafford before Lancashire Lightning host the Birmingham Bears - although, as the womens match starts five and a half hours before the mens it is a stretch to refer to it as a true double-bill.In the same way that Queen and Bob Dylan built their fan base by supporting Mott the Hoople and Joan Baez on tour, being a support act is a proven and respectable vehicle to finding a new audience. Double-headers were a major factor in stimulating interest in the WBBL, drawing crowds of up to 12,000. Birmingham, perhaps stung into action after they failed to win their bid for a KSL team, hosted a heavily promoted double-header recently at which, reportedly, almost 3000 fans stayed on at Edgbaston to watch the womens match.What the competition does have on its side, on top of some of the worlds best female talent, is an English fan base thats traditionally far more willing to embrace the womens game than Australian cricket fans. Womens internationals have drawn encouraging and enthusiastic crowds in recent years and around 1500 tickets have already been sold for the Western Forces first match at Taunton. If all the games draw four-figure crowds, then the KSL will be deemed a huge success.Theres more on the way, too, as the complete overhaul of womens domestic cricket in England continues. Next year a new 50-over domestic competition in May and June will lead in to the Womens World Cup with the KSL to follow and there are plans to stage double-headers and broadcast matches on Sky. It is an exciting time for the womens game and, despite the obstacles, this tournament represents a massive step forward in its professionalism and promotion.Ultimately, as in the WBBL and the World T20 in India, it is the players who will drive the tournaments success. The shop window may be smaller, they may not have the waterfront real estate, but the opportunity is there for their talent to shine through. Mark Thompson Jersey . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. Dante Bichette Jersey . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/634t-antonio-senzatela-jersey-rockies.html . 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The Chicago Blackhawks chased the Los Angeles Kings standout goalie during an impressive display in the opening two periods of a 4-2 victory Sunday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. "Its a high-speed game. If we use our speed, well be all right," Shaw said. "We played our game. Thats the difference. The guys played good. We all competed for each other. We did everything we needed to do, keeping it deep in the zone." Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad added two assists apiece as the Blackhawks grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with their fifth consecutive victory. Corey Crawford made 29 saves in another solid performance, drawing chants of "Co-rey! Co-rey!" from the capacity crowd at the United Center. "We went through a little spurt there in the last series where we were doing the right things but the pucks werent going in," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "So now were getting the results we want. We can do what were doing more often. We can do it better as well in the next few games." Game 3 is Tuesday night at Los Angeles, where the Kings have won 14 consecutive games, dating to the regular season. The Kings also lost their first two games of the playoffs at St. Louis before winning four straight to eliminate the Blues in the first round. Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli scored for Los Angeles, but the Kings struggled to score without Mike Richards, who was scratched because of an undisclosed upper body injury. The defending Stanley Cup champions have 29 goals in 15 post-season games. "Youve got to find a way," Quick said. "They did their job at home. Weve got to go home and do our job now." Richards, who leads the Kings with 10 playoff points, was sidelined after taking a big hit from Dave Bolland in the final minutes of the Blackhawks 2-1 victory on Saturday. Kings coach Darryl Sutter said Richards was "fine" a couple of hours before the game, but the centre was scratched from the lineup after participating in the pregame warmups. "He was fine today, then I think just once his blood got pumping tonight, the adrenaline got going, there were symptoms," Sutter said. "I went in right after warmup, he was sitting there and I said, Unless youre 100 per cent, youre not playing." Los Angeles forward Brad Richardson and defenceman Drew Doughty gingerly skated off at separate points of the first period, but both returned to the ice. The series took on a more physical tone in the second game in two days -- a rarity in the playofffs brought on by The Rolling Stones tour.dddddddddddd The top-seeded Blackhawks also won the series opener in each of the first two rounds, but they dropped three in a row following their Game 1 victory against Detroit in the conference semifinals. There was no such letdown this time. "It was frustrating early on, that series against Detroit, but I think we learned a lot there," defenceman Duncan Keith said. Shaw got Chicago off to a fast start, taking a nifty pass from Viktor Stalberg and beating Quick on the glove side just 1:56 into the game. Marian Hossa set up Seabrook in the final minute for a low liner into the left corner of the net. The defenceman put the Blackhawks into this round with an overtime goal in Game 7 against Detroit on Wednesday. The Blackhawks added two more in the second, separated by just 2:09. Bickell scored a power-play goal on a rebound in front, and Handzus skated in and beat Quick to make it 4-0 at 9:20. "We gave them too many Grade-A scoring chances, and they capitalized," Kings defenceman Rob Scuderi said. "You cant give up those opportunities and expect your goalie to bail you out every single time." The crowd of 21,824 roared after Handzus second goal of the post-season, and cheered even louder when Quick skated off and was replaced by Jonathan Bernier. Quick, last years playoff MVP who had played every minute of this years playoffs, finished with 13 saves. "We had some nice shots. We had some high-quality stuff off the rush, as well, in that period," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "I still think thats going to be an ongoing challenge with him." Carter converted a one-timer at 18:57 of the second, and Toffoli netted a power-play goal with 1:02 left in the game, but that was it for the Kings. The Blackhawks killed three other power plays and have allowed just two goals in 47 attempts in the playoffs. Crawford was saluted by the crowd after he stopped Dustin Penner on a quality opportunity late in the second, and the chants resumed when he pulled Kings forward Kyle Clifford off Toews during a scrum with 8:45 left. "The guy grabbed him, got a couple free shots. I figured it was enough," Crawford said. "I just decided to go in there and grab his head." Crawford was one of the top goalies in the NHL during the lockout-shortened regular season, and he has carried that into the playoffs. He has allowed just one goal in four of his last six games. "Hes the guy we want in net back there," Sharp said. "Hes proven it in the past. Its nice to see him finally get the credit that he deserves." NOTES: Kings rookie D Jake Muzzin was scratched after playing in the first 14 post-season games. ... Crawford was 1-1 with a 3.54 goals-against average against Los Angeles during the regular season. ' ' '