Ireland lost 74-57 to Czech Republic in their final game of the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023 Qualifiers campaign, as James Weldon lamented a “really frustrating” first quarter. There were strong performances from captain Edel Thornton, who finished with 16 points, three rebounds and four assists and Bridget Herlihy, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds, but Ireland couldn’t manage to spring an upset in Prague against a side who are 22^ndin the FIBA world rankings.

Ireland started brightly, they led 12-10 midway through the first after Dayna Finn’s three point jump shot. With a little over three minutes to go in the first quarter Sarah Hickey came on for her international debut, she made an almost immediate impact with a steal and assist for Claire Melia and Ireland trailed 16-14 with 2’10” remaining. That was to be Ireland’s last points of the quarter, the Czechs opened up a 26-14 lead by the end of it.

Simona Sklenarova’s driving layup two and a half minutes into the second quarter completed a 16 point run for the Czech’s, to put them 32-14 ahead and give Ireland an uphill task. That run was finally snapped by Herlihy’s three point jump shot in the third minute of the second quarter, Ireland trailed 32-17. But the Czechs rattled off five more points after that, only for Ireland to respond positively, when captain Edel Thornton landed a nice three from the left, followed by a driving layup from Herlihy and it was 37-22. With two minutes to go the gap was 12 points, following Finn’s two-point jump shot to trail 39-27. However, by the end of the quarter the Czechs added to their tally, Natálie Stoupalova layup just before the half-time buzzer made it 43-27.

Ireland needed a quick start to the third, but instead Veronika Vorackova’s early layup indicated that the home side had no intention of letting them back into it. They had a 20 point advantage four and a half minutes in, when Renata Brezinova converted from the three point line to make it 50-30. A pair of Edel Thornton free throws and Herlihy’s three reduced the deficit straight afterwards, but the Czech’s continued to keep Ireland at arms’ length and led 58-39 by the end of the third.

Ireland began the fourth with a pair of three’s from Edel Thornton and Michelle Clarke, either side of Veronika Vorackova’s layup, to make it 60-45. Jump shots from Finn and Melia and it was a 13 point game, 62-49, with 5’28” to go. Ireland kept plugging away and outscored their opponents in the final quarter 18-16, but ultimately the Czechs proved to be too strong, winning 74-57.

“The first quarter was really frustrating, we gave up 12 points in transition and that was an area where we really wanted to target and not give up some of those easy points and unfortunately we dug ourselves that bit of a hole, but these girls never give up and they dug deep and stuck together. It was a good performance to come here, to a nation that is probably going to qualify for their 15^th (major) championship in a row this weekend. I do believe these girls have gained respect around Europe, talking to a lot of friends around Europe – they’re hugely encouraged with the positive steps the team is making forward. More games next summer at this level is vital for the next step of progression.”

Ireland’s next qualifying campaign is the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, which begin in November 2023.

Czech Republic 74-57 Ireland

Quarter Scores: 

Q1: 26-14, Q2: 17-13, Q3: 15-12, Q4: 16-18

Czech Republic: Gabriela Andelova, Eliska Hamzova, Katerina Zeithammerova, Petra Holesinska, Pamela-Therese Effangova, Tereza Vyoralova, Simona Sklenarova, Veronika Vorackova, Natalie Stoupalova, Emma Cechova, Renata Brezinova, Dominika Paurova

Head Coach: Romana Ptackova

Top Scorers: Veronika Vorackova (16), Natalie Stoupalova (16), Petra Holesinska (10), Renata Brezinova (9), Tereza Vyoralova (7)

Ireland: Michelle Clarke, Dayna Finn, Edel Thornton, Claire Melia, Hannah Thornton, Sorcha Tiernan, Mia Furlong, Áine O’Connor, Bridget Herlihy, Sarah Hickey, Ciara Bracken, Orla O’Reilly

Head Coach: James Weldon 

Top Scorers: Edel Thornton (16), Bridget Herlihy (15), Cl

Mia Griffin has finished in tenth place in the women’s elimination race on day two of the UEC Track European Championships in Grenchen, Switzerland on Thursday, February 9th.  

The Irish rider was heavily involved in the opening exchanges as she kept to the front of the bunch and clear of elimination but found herself in a battle to avoid elimination on two occasions before finishing in tenth place in a competitive field.  

Ireland enjoyed a successful start to the day in the afternoon session as a new national record was set in the women’s team pursuit.   

The team of Alice Sharpe, Lara Gillespie, Kelly Murphy and Mia Griffin set a blazing time of 4.19.705 – a new national record* in the first round following qualifying on Wednesday. 

The new time is 0.033 seconds quicker than the previous record set on April 21, 2022, at the Nations Cup in Glasgow. 

After a strong time of 4:21.426 in qualifying on Wednesday, Ireland needed to move up from fifth in the standings to the top four in order to race for a medal.  

And despite taking almost two seconds off their qualifying time, Ireland missed out on the top four behind Italy, Great Britain, France and Germany.  

Orla Walsh kicked off the day for Ireland in the women’s sprint qualifying and her time of 11.159 saw her finish 16th and progress to the 1/16 finals in the afternoon.  

Walsh was paired with Ukraine’s Oleksandra Lohviniuk in the 1/16 finals, but missed out in the match sprint as she finished 0.070 seconds behindLohviniuk. 

* All new national records are provisional and subject to formal ratification with Cycling Ireland.

Day Three Schedule 

It’s another busy day for Ireland on Friday, February 10th, as Conor Rowley competes in the men’s sprint qualifying. 

Lara Gillespie will compete in the women’s omnium throughout the day, racing in the scratch and tempo races in the afternoon session followed by the elimination and points races in the evening session. 

Also in action in the evening session is JB Murphy, he’ll compete in the men’s scratch race at the Tissot Velodrome. 

More information on results and the schedule is available here.  

Gerwyn Price enjoyed a dream homecoming on a sensational evening of Cazoo Premier League action, defeating Nathan Aspinall 6-3 to triumph on Night Two in Cardiff on Thursday.

All matches best of 11 legs

WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is the best-known wrestling company in the world. Owned by Vince McMahon, it has become the largest wrestling promotion in the universe.

To understand it well, in a match with basic rules, the winner is the one who gets his opponent to put his shoulders on the canvas for three seconds (which will be counted by a referee) or makes him submit. A fighter can also lose if he stands outside the ring for more than 10 seconds or is disqualified.

The three most popular types of matches are: Single Match, a confrontation between two wrestlers with basic rules; Street Fight, where the fighters will face each other without rules, where they can use any kind of objects and the winner is the one who manages to knock his opponent down and put their shoulders on the canvas for more than three seconds; and Tag Team, where four wrestlers face each other, two of them stay outside the ropes and the other two enter the ring to fight.

Its popularity is remarkable and just as users enter websites like Skokka looking for an hot Escorts in London, there are also many people looking for news about their favourite wrestlers. That’s why today we have compiled the 5 most popular WWE wrestlers online. Don’t miss it!

1. The Undertaker

Hulk Hogan may have been the key man for the most years in a row, but the image of WrestleMania, a perfect event to be accompanied by an independent Sydney escort, will always be impregnated by The Undertaker and his winning streak, which has been extended over time. The Deadman has wrestled 25 times and remained undefeated until his 22nd match, where he was defeated by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX. During his career, he has faced the likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Kane, John Cena, Batista, Edge and CM Punk. And not only has he had good fights and the mythical streak, but also historic comebacks like the one he made at WrestleMania XX.

2. Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan was WWE’s first big megastar. A man who broke the box office of the first events, starting with the first edition and ending in the ninth, returning later to be part of two more matches in the show’s history. He was a key part of the first edition of WrestleMania, but his first iconic fight came in the third edition against Andre The Giant. He was the star of the show nine years in a row and appeared in eight main events. WrestleMania in those years was in the Hulkster’s image and WWE owes him a lot for that. His meteoric return in 2002 left us with a dream match against The Rock. Later, he faced Vince McMahon to close the cycle.

3. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels is known as “Mr. WrestleMania” and it’s no coincidence. He is possibly the wrestler who has given the most fights to the show. His matches against Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Kurt Angle, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or John Cena stand out. Also the match at WrestleMania XXIV, where he retired Ric Flair. But if we look in the rear-view mirror, HBK left us two gems against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV and XXVI, where he lost to the Deadman and was forced to retire. Even uninterested people have enjoyed this wrestler  with sexy UK escorts for many of his matches.

4. The Rock

Dwayne “The Rock” Johson deserves to be among the four most important superstars in WrestleMania history for many reasons, but the one valued the most is the ability to have returned many years later and to have made so much noise with his fight against John Cena. But if we start from the beginning, it should be noted that “The People’s Champ” steralized WrestleMania for 3 key years for WWE, from edition 15 to 17, having two more superclassics in subsequent editions, one against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and another against Hulk Hogan. Precisely, that match generated such a buzz that it raised the WWE audience like we had never seen before.

5. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

And he’s the one we were talking about. “The Rattlesnake” began his WrestleMania career in 1997 against Hart, and from that point on, he starred in most of the main events of the following WrestleMania’s. The following year, he wrestled Shawn Shawn and then Steve Austin. The following year, his fight against Shawn Michaels for the world title, with Mike Tyson as special referee, became one of the most talked about in history. At Wrestlemania 15, he faced The Rock in his first Super Classic for the WWE Championship. Austin missed WrestleMania 2000 with a neck injury, but reappeared at X-Seven, where he defeated The Rock in the main event, winning the title and joining Vince McMahon. The following year, he faced Scott Hall (with Kevin Nash) and picked up another win, and in 2003 he wrestled his last match, losing to The Rock. Since then, “Stone Cold” has made sporadic appearances.

Finding the right  online sports betting sites with the best and latest odds can be challenging.

Both serious gamblers and sports enthusiasts are searching for the best sports betting sites to place wagers on sporting events like the Super Bowl, NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, and many others as online legal sports betting becomes more widespread.

To avoid placing your bettings in some of the blacklisted online sportsbooks, you must be aware of the best and top-rated betting sites of 2023. This should help you make better betting decisions and increase your chances of winning. This article will discuss 3 of the best online betting sites for fans and bettors to place bets on their favorite sports events. Follow along to the rest of the article as we review the top 3 best sports betting sites of 2023;

● FanDuel

It should come as no surprise that FanDuel Sportsbook’s website is our top betting site, especially for the NFL, given that the company is widely recognized as the king of sports betting operators in the United States. From its appearance to functionality, FanDuel’s desktop site is a perfect replica of its superior mobile platform. The FanDuel client is virtually unrivaled, whether you want to wager on your laptop or desktop.

The main sporting events for that day are highlighted in the center of the homepage, and players can browse other hot sports markets using the menus at the top and on the left side of the screen. Your bet slip is located on the right side of the website and is very easy to use. It’s simple to add and remove options and use those selections to make a parlay or teaser. The bet slip function on the FanDuel website can be used for everything.

● DraftKing

Since almost everything you need is at your fingertips, the DraftKings Sportsbook app is one of the greatest betting platforms available. Since transitioning from daily fantasy sports in 2018, DraftKings Sportsbook has become one of the country’s most well-known online sportsbook providers.

Players will find a wealth of information right once they open the DraftKings desktop website. The homepage’s center is dedicated to live betting possibilities, and gamers may visit DK’s “Stats Hub” or switch to the next game odds using the navigation bar above. Players can dig further into a game or prop wager before locking in their action because of the Stats Hub, a special feature available only on DraftKings. Take a look at it the next time you log in because it’s a useful addition for sports bettors of all types.

● BetMGM

BetMGM Sportsbook was one of the first online sports betting businesses to become popular in the United States, and it has developed tremendously over time. BetMGM has undergone several changes since its first introduction, allowing the company to enhance and strengthen its product.

The games are listed directly in the center of the page, sports markets are shown to the left, and the player’s bet slip is positioned on the right. This is similar to how many other top online sportsbook sites have their websites designed. One of the best features of the BetMGM website is the large navigation bar that is constantly visible at the top of the screen. This menu has all of the tabs required to use the company’s mobile setup and connections to all the well-known sports markets BetMGM offers.

If you’re new to sports betting, it can all seem a bit overwhelming at first. There are so many different types of bets that you can make, and it’s not always clear which one is right for you. Here, we’ll give you a rundown of the five most common types of bets that beginners should know.

With this information in hand, you’ll be able to start placing smarter, more informed bets in no time.

Moneyline Bets

These are one of the most popular wagering bets you can make, as they’re easy to understand. All you need to do is pick who will win the game – no point spreads or other complications necessary.

Moneyline bets can be placed on almost any sport, but they’re particularly popular in baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. If you’re just getting started in sports betting, this is typically the best place to start.

Any seasoned wagering enthusiast would agree that mastering money lines is a key part of unlocking your potential in the world of betting.

Point Spread Bets

Point spread bets are an interesting way to show off your sports gambling knowledge. You’re not only picking which team will win but also calculating how much they’ll win or lose. Picking the point spread is an educated, strategic decision that allows gamblers to feel even more involved and invested in the game they’re watching.

When betting on the spread, it’s important to weigh the power of a team concerning their opponents. Are they a powerhouse playing against a much weaker opponent? Or is it an evenly skilled-matchup? Punters also need to consider home-field advantage and whether either team is playing with injuries or missing key personnel.

Like any other type of betting, it takes practice and experience to successfully pick the correct point spread bet.

Totals Bets

If you want to get in on the thrill of sports betting, but you’re not for picking teams or players, then a total bet might be perfect for you. A total bet is based on predicting whether the final score will be over or under a certain amount.

So whether you know your sports inside and out and have a hunch about the score, or if you don’t even watch sports at all, this type of bet can offer excitement without feeling overwhelmed. With more complex bets out there, like point-spread betting and parlays, total wagers can provide an easy way to join in on the action without having to follow sports news.

Parlays

Placing a parlay bet is a great way to increase your chances of winning big with less effort. A parlay bet allows you to combine multiple bets into one wager. Every single bet must be correct for you to collect your winnings.

While it’s not the most straightforward way to wager, if all of your selections come through, it can be quite rewarding since the original stake is usually multiplied significantly by odds that reflect the aggregate risk. However, it’s important to remember that each leg of the parlay has to work out perfectly, or else your bet loses.

Therefore, if you decide to play this type of bet, you must research beforehand and make sure you understand how parlays and their corresponding odds operate so that you can make an informed decision on whether this kind of wager is right for you.

Teasers

Teasers, like parlays, are an entertaining way to make money while watching sports. While they are pretty similar, there’s one key difference between the two that makes teasers advantageous: the point spread or total is slightly adjusted in your favor.

As a result, you have better odds of winning your bet than just a single straight wager. Teasers can also offer some decent rewards if you hit correctly – greater than that of a standard parlay – but remember that higher rewards come with bigger risks.

With the added layer of complexity combined with the benefit of better odds and slightly more generous payouts, teasers remain an increasingly popular type of sports bet amongst seasoned bettors and casual ones alike.

In Conclusion

Now that you know the five main types of sports bets, you’re on your way to becoming a betting expert. Sharpen up your predicting skills, and good luck raking in the winnings.