BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — Mark Chapman scored 80 and Mitchell Santner shepherded the tail to guide New Zealand to a tense one-wicket win over West Indies in the fourth one-day cricket international Sunday and to an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Santner was dropped with three runs needed and one wicket in hand, and last batter Jayden Lennox survived reviews for caught behind and lbw, before New Zealand edged past West Indies' modest total of 188 with 35 balls remaining.
Santner, the New Zealand captain, hit the winning runs from the first ball of the 45th over to finish 34 not out and to spoil West Indies' hopes of achieving a series-leveling victory to pay tribute to cricket great Garry Sobers.
“It was pretty chaotic, especially the ending,” Santner said. “You try to chip off the total as much as you can. Even partnerships of 10 or 15 at that stage was going a long way.
“It probably shouldn't have got that close but it was nice to get over the line.”
West Indies had expressed a fervent hope to honor Sobers in his home town of Bridgetown and at Kensington Oval, the stadium where he nurtured his career and made his name. Sobers died Friday aged 89; both teams wore black armbands and flags flew at half staff in his memory.
Two seats were left empty in the pavilion named for Sobers and a minute of silence was observed before play began.
Sobers is considered the greatest West Indies cricketer and likely the greatest allrounder in the history of the game with more than 8,000 test runs and 200 wickets.
West Indies' hopes of honoring him had an early setback when New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl. Teams bowling first have won all four matches in the series to date.
New Zealand won Game 2 by five wickets and Game 3 by six wickets after losing the first by seven wickets.
Conditions were difficult and West Indies slipped to 58-3 and 81-6 before the innings was revived by a seventh-wicket partnership of 81 between Amir Jangoo and Gudakesh Motie.
Jangoo scored 51, his half century from 71 balls, as West Indies ground toward a modest total. Motie made 41.
Young pacer Matthew Fisher took 3-40, his first ODI wickets for New Zealand. His first was West Indies captain Shai Hope (2), who fell to the best ball of the day, a cross-seamer which jagged back sharply from outside off.
Despite a bad start to its chase — losing two wickets with only six runs on the board — New Zealand was heading toward a comfortable win after Chapman and Michael Bracewell put on 65 for the fifth wicket. Chapman's dismissal left New Zealand at 142-5, needing only 47 runs to win with almost 25 overs in hand.
Spinner Motie and pacer Alzarri Joseph epitomized West Indies' intent, bowling their team to the brink of victory. Motie took 5-47 and Joseph 1-23, putting heavy pressure on New Zealand through the closing overs.
Bracewell (32) was out to Motie's first ball after a short rain break, then Nathan Smith (8), Jacob Duffy (1) and Fisher (1) were all dismissed quickly.
New Zealand needed eight runs when Lennox went in at No. 11. Santner took New Zealand within one run of victory but left Lennox to face a full over from Vitel Lawes which yielded two confident appeals, both rejected under review.
Lennox survived and Santner finished the match from the first ball of the next over.
“It's been a really good cricket game for the onlookers,” Hope said. “If you watch a game like this as a neutral you're going to be really happy to see play like this.
“It was one that could have gone to either side. I must commend our guys for the fight they showed.”
The last match of the series will be played at Bridgetown on Tuesday.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
FILE - West Indies cricket great Garfield Sobers, right, chats with West Indies team members during a training session ahead of their second test cricket match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Oct. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File)
File - Under the watchful eyes of West Indies technical consultant Sir Garfield Sobers, left, West Indies fast bowler Cory Collymore bowls during a practice session at 3Ws Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, March 26, 2005. (AP Photo/Chris Brandis, File)
LONDON & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 20, 2026--
Vertical Aerospace (“Vertical” or the “Company”) (NYSE:EVTL), a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering electric aviation, today announced that it is in advanced discussions with the UK Government on a package of support to anchor the first of its planned global full-production sites in the United Kingdom. The Company is now progressing UK site down-selection for its Valo electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft assembly and battery manufacturing facilities.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260720515478/en/
The package includes grant funding of up to £10m ($13.5m) in connection with Vertical finalising the down-selection of UK sites for its aircraft and battery facilities.
Vertical is now working toward a final siting decision, expected before the end of the year. Locating production in the UK will also streamline certification, with Vertical’s design and production organisation approvals located under the same regulatory framework with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The package also includes a commitment to establish a broad, cross-government programme to back Vertical’s transition from prototype development to industrial scale-up, including:
Vertical’s first full-scale aircraft final assembly and battery manufacturing facilities are expected to support around 700 direct jobs by 2030, alongside wider benefits for the UK aerospace supply chain, industrial capability and future aviation ecosystem.
The announcement builds on longstanding UK Government backing for Vertical through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme and the Future Flight Challenge, which have helped the Company progress from early-stage technology development toward certification and industrialisation. With this package, direct UK Government grant support awarded to Vertical would total up to £48 million ($64 million).
Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, said:
“This is a major vote of confidence from the UK Government in Vertical, in our aerospace sector and in the UK’s opportunity to lead the next generation of aviation. The UK has backed us from the earliest stages of the programme, and today’s proposed support helps create a clear pathway from innovation to industrial scale-up. It means we will continue to create high-value jobs, strengthen Britain's advanced manufacturing base, and build aircraft that will be exported to customers around the world. We are grateful for that backing and committed to building the future of electric flight here in the UK.”
The aircraft is expected to be the first all-new aircraft designed and built in the UK in more than three decades. The UK is uniquely well-placed to benefit from the growth of advanced air mobility, with strong aerospace capability, a supportive regulator in the CAA, world-class engineering talent and a deep supply chain.
The Department for Business and Trade grant of up to £10 million remains subject to the completion of legal, subsidy control, due diligence and ministerial approval processes, and the Memorandum of Understanding with UK Export Finance is not legally binding.
About Vertical Aerospace
Vertical Aerospace is a global aerospace and technology company pioneering electric aviation. Vertical is creating a safer, cleaner, and quieter way to travel. Valo is a piloted, four-passenger, Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with zero operating emissions. Vertical is also developing a hybrid-electric variant, offering increased range and mission flexibility to meet the evolving needs of the advanced air mobility market.
Vertical combines partnerships with leading aerospace companies, including Honeywell, Syensqo and Sonaca, with its own proprietary battery and propeller technology to develop the world's most advanced and safest eVTOL.
Vertical has c.1,500 pre-orders of Valo, with customers across four continents, including American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow, GOL and Japan Airlines. Certain customer obligations are expected to be fulfilled via third-party agreements. Headquartered in Bristol, UK, Vertical's experienced leadership team comes from top-tier aerospace and automotive companies such as Rolls-Royce, Airbus, GM, and Leonardo. Together, they have previously certified and supported over 30 different civil and military aircraft and propulsion systems.
Forward looking statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any express or implied statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding a UK Government package to support the Company’s planned global full-production sites in the United Kingdom, which remains subject to the completion of legal, subsidy control, due diligence and ministerial approval processes; the Memorandum of Understanding from UK Export Finance, which is not legally binding; the interest from the Ministry of Defence in the defence applications for Vertical’s eVTOL, hybrid-electric and autonomous capabilities; the continued support from Innovate UK; the business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, including the Company’s plans for certification, industrialisation and commercialisation of the Valo aircraft and the hybrid-electric Valo variant and our ability to achieve regulatory certification of our aircraft product on any particular timeline or at all, the plans around the development and testing of the hybrid-electric Valo variant, the design and manufacture of our aircrafts, the features and capabilities of our aircrafts, selection of suppliers, expectations surrounding pre-orders and commitments; statements and projections contained in the Frontier Economics report which was commissioned by Vertical and based on Vertical-supplied data, including management projections, assumptions, targets, expectations and estimates in which actual results may vary due to a number of risks and uncertainties relating to the business, industry performance, the regulatory environment, and general business and economic conditions; as well as statements that include the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “may,” “should,” “anticipate,” “will,” “aim,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are not a guarantee of future performance. Actual outcomes may differ materially from the information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including, without limitation, the important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 24, 2026, as such factors may be updated from time to time in the Company’s other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law.
UK Government announcement comes a day after Vertical Aerospace flew the first piloted eVTOL aircraft at Farnborough International Airshow
