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Peter Wright is the 2022 PDC World Darts Champion

Peter Wright won the William Hill World Darts Championship for a second time as he defeated Michael Smith 7-5 in Monday’s final.

An Alexandra Palace thriller saw the lead change hands multiple times, before Wright finished strongly to lift the Sid Waddell trophy for a second time in three years, while Smith suffered a second World Championship final defeat.

Smith, seeking a first TV ranking title, was in control of the contest as he led 5-4 in sets and 2-0 in the tenth set, but Wright won nine of the next ten legs to join the list of two-time World Champions.

“I’m over the moon to lift this amazing trophy for a second time,” said Wright, a winner of three TV titles in 2021.

“It was a difficult start to the year from me away from darts but I’ve had a great year on the oche and this tops it off.

“Michael and I didn’t perform how we can for a lot of the game, but it was still an entertaining final because it was so close.

“Michael is the future of darts, I feel for him tonight because I’ve been in his position.

“But, I’ve got to take the chances I get and thankfully I was able to do that tonight.

“I can’t explain what went wrong with my game tonight, I kept swapping darts trying to find something that worked and thankfully I had a good run at the end.

“Thank you to the crowd for turning out to support us all tournament, they were amazing.”

Smith was left distraught after losing his eighth televised final in nine attempts, as his wait for a first TV ranking title goes on.

Despite his latest disappointment, the new world number five remains determined to break his duck in 2022.

“I got five sets in this time instead of three but losing these finals is doing my head in now,” said Smith. 

“Tonight will be difficult but I’ll be back on the practice board soon, getting ready for the next one.

“The bullseye shots for big finishes wouldn’t go in, that’s darts I guess.”

Smith hit 24 180s in the match to take his tournament total up to a staggering 83, smashing the previous record of 71 set by Gary Anderson at the 2016/17 tournament.

Two of those 180s came in the opening leg, though it proved to be a nervous start from both players with 23 missed double attempts between the pair in leg two.

Wright took both the opening two sets 3-1, before Smith established himself in the contest by winning the next two sets to level.

Wright regained the lead by winning the set five decider, before Smith won six of the next seven legs to lead for the first time at 4-3.

After Wright levelled once again, Smith regained the advantage by winning the ninth set and looked on course for the title as he led 2-0 in the tenth.

However, Wright came back to win the set with a tide-turning 84 finish before whitewashing Smith in the 11th set to go back in front.

The world number two continued his sprint to the finish line, with Smith powerless to stop Wright winning the 12th and final set 3-1 to seal victory.

2021/22 William Hill World Darts Championship
Monday January 3 (2000 GMT)
Final
Peter Wright 7-5 Michael Smith (3-1, 3-1, 1-3, 2-3, 3-2, 1-3, 0-3, 3-1, 2-3, 3-2, 3-0, 3-1)

Heinrich Malan Ireland Men’s Head Coach

South African-born coach Heinrich Malan has been appointed the successor to Graham Ford as Head Coach for Ireland Men and will take up the role in March 2022 (subject to work permit approval) on an initial three-year contract.

 

Malan, 40, a right-handed middle-order batter and medium-fast bowler, played first-class cricket in South Africa between 2005 and 2009, representing Combined Eastern-Northerns XI and Northern Cricket Union – captaining the latter during the 2006-07 season. He played in teams that featured then-developing international cricketers Neil Wagner and Roloef van der Merwe, as well as future South African international and former CIYMS overseas professional Rassie van der Dussen.

 

Since finishing his first-class playing career, Malan has gained more than 11 years first-class coaching experience in South Africa and New Zealand. He holds a Level 3 Coaching Certificate from Cricket South Africa, and amongst his more recent roles have seen him take on Assistant Coach and Fielding Lead for the New Zealand Men’s cricket team and Head Coach of New Zealand A. He has also held the batting coach role for the Black Caps.

 

Domestically in New Zealand, Malan is the current Head of Male Performance and Head Coach of the Auckland Aces (since 2019), after a six-year stint as Head Coach and Program Director at Central District Stags. Prior to this, he was Head Coach of Eastern Cricket Union in South Africa from 2011-2013.

 

Under Malan’s leadership, his squads have collected numerous titles, including:

 

  • 2019-20: Auckland Aces – Champions, Provincial 1 Day competition (Ford Trophy)
  • 2018-19: Central District Stags – Champions, T20 Competition (Super Smash)
  • 2018-19: Central District Stags – Cham  pions, 1st Class 4-Day Competition (Plunket Shield)
  • 2017-18: Central District Stags – Champions, 1st Class 4-Day Competition (Plunket Shield)
  • 2015-16: Central District Stags – Champions, Provincial 1 Day competition (Ford Trophy)
  • 2014-15: Central District Stags – Champions, Provincial 1 Day competition (Ford Trophy)

 

 

Speaking from Auckland, Heinrich Malan said:

 

“It’s very humbling and a huge honour to be appointed Head Coach of the Ireland Men’s team. We have an exciting squad that has demonstrated that they have the ability to compete with the best players around the world. It is an exciting challenge and something that we, as a family, are really looking forward to.”

 

“A lot of credit has to go to Graham Ford, who has done a stellar job over the last four years. We have some serious building blocks in place which I believe we can build on going forward.”

 

“My coaching philosophy has certainly evolved over time and I am very keen to get to know this group of players and staff to collaboratively shape our environment through the way we want to operate on a daily basis. The ‘wheel’ in Irish cricket is turning nicely for the stage it is at, but this point in time is a great opportunity to review what – and how – we are operating to not only grow the wheel, but make that wheel turn quicker.”

 

“While I came up through the South African system, the opportunity to move to New Zealand in 2013 really enhanced my coaching experiences and created opportunities to progress my coaching career. Hopefully, I can share these experiences and help our players improve and compete consistently across formats. And that is the key – to create greater consistency of performance over the long term.”

 

 

Richard Holdsworth, High Performance Director for Cricket Ireland, said:

 

“We are delighted to have secured Heinrich as men’s Head Coach and look forward to supporting him in taking the international men’s side forward during what will be an extremely busy period for the squad.

 

“Heinrich has worked in world-class environments at international and domestic levels, and has forged a reputation as an innovative coach with an interest and willingness to do things differently – taking a more holistic view of the game. He is an advocate for sports science, and an intense interest in developing players – particularly in preparing them for the international stage. He has demonstrated a passion for coaching that delves into the feeder systems which lead to sustainable and successful programmes, which is perfectly aligned with what we have been establishing piece-by-piece over recent years. Heinrich is additionally keen to help develop coaches within our Performance system in order to help grow a pathway for Irish coaches to reach senior levels.

 

“Despite coming from outside the Irish system, Heinrich clearly articulated an understanding of the Irish cricket identity, and is determined to succeed in bonding the senior squad around these ideals, then flow those ideals down the pathway system. He fully understands the development stage we are at as a new Full Member, and is clear on the goals of the organisation – but is committed to working hard on building a skilled and confident squad that is competitive with the world’s leading sides.

 

“We know that a key focus for us in the short-term is white-ball cricket, and it is the insights, experience and success that Heinrich has garnered in the shorter formats that we believe will benefit our squad greatly.

 

“We look forward to Heinrich starting in March, with his first task being to prepare the squad for the Zimbabwe tour.”

 

 

A full-time coaching support team will be put in place over coming months.

 

Graham Rowntree Signs Munster Contract Until June 2024

Munster Rugby Forwards Coach Graham Rowntree has signed a two-year contract extension that will see him remain with the province until at least June 2024.

The former England prop made the move to Limerick in October 2019 on completion of his Rugby World Cup coaching duties with Georgia Rugby.

With an impressive coaching CV and vast experience, he previously held coaching roles with the British and Irish Lions, England Rugby, Harlequins and Leicester Tigers.

Commenting on the contract news, Graham Rowntree said, “I am delighted to be committing my future to Munster Rugby.

“I have made my thoughts about this club widely known throughout my time so far, and for me and my family it really has been an easy decision, a non-decision if truth be told. We’ve put down roots here and have no desire to move anywhere else.

“I know there will be coaching personnel changes at the end of this season but from where I’m standing, I know that we have everything in place for continued development and success.

“This is a club with established structures, facilities, staff, players, supporters, and resources that any club or coach would be envious of and I’m very excited to be able to play my part in the years to come.”

Using Player Rankings in Fantasy Football

Watching football has changed in recent years, especially with the increase in popularity of the official Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game.

Players you rate on the pitch may not always be considered top FPL talents. There are some qualities such as assists, goals, clean sheets, that are necessary to be considered a top-level player in the world of fantasy football. Others can get by through the accumulation of bonus points based on their performance levels but, all-in-all, you do need to ‘stand out’ on the pitch with game-changing contributions.

It’s very tough for any of us to know who the best-value FPL players are at any given moment. We all know Mohamed Salah’s name will be top of the list in terms of points but when you want to dig a little deeper and get a bit more bang for your buck, then you’ll need the assistance of some reliable FPL tips sites to help you out.

The Best FPL Player Rankings Tool

Wouldn’t it be nice if some of the best sites provided an easy-to-use FPL player rankings page to assist us with our FPL decisions? Well, they do, of course. You will see from that link what a good player rankings page can provide you with in FPL.

The information therein will range from the most basic such as each player’s club, position (according to the FPL database), and who they are up against next. Then, you will also get to delve into more detailed stats such as the current ownership level for that player (what percentage of FPL teams own that player), and whether he is in the predicted lineup for the next game (according to that same site).

After that, it gets even more interesting. You should see data that tells you the likelihood that each player wins their next game, keeps a clean sheet (relevant to goalkeepers, defenders, and midfielders), scores in that game, or provides an assist. All of these probabilities are shown in percentage form.

With these figures all totted up, the algorithm on a good FPL tips site will then give you a Player Rankings total, relative to every other player in the game.

Using FPL Player Statistics

It’s always exciting to find there are more statistics to read about all Premier League players. Generally, if you are on a good quality player rankings page, you should be able to click on each player’s name to find out more about their performance levels.

Take Mohamed Salah, for example. See his most relevant stats in FPL terms. They are all laid out before you in an easy-to-understand format. Sites like this must be user-friendly as many people can be slightly overwhelmed if they see too much data or too many numbers thrown at them.

Once you follow it, though, you’ll notice average amounts for minutes played per gameweek, goals, assists, and key passes – all per gameweek. There will be extra ‘offensive’ stats to show their attacking prowess such as total shots, and shots on goal, as well as how many penalties he has won and how often he has hit the woodwork.

In terms of passing, as well as the aforementioned key passes, there will be crosses, and crosses on target (successful crosses).

Defensive stats will show how many saves (goalkeepers only) a player makes on average per gameweek, and how many tackles.

Finally, you’ll notice the disciplinary data which tells you how many fouls they make per gameweek as well as how many yellow and red cards they get.

Choose the Right FPL Tips Sites 

You should always stick with the best football data sites that are available. Find one that works for you in terms of how it’s presented and how easily you can understand the data in front of you. Once you do know what sites you would like to use regularly, rate them over a few weeks based on how accurate their predictions are and how ‘correct’ or close to correct the data they provided was in the end.

Why Sotheby’s Jumped Onto NFT Bandwagon?

Cryptocurrency hype is surprising, and now it is a new norm to hear day-to-day news about it, while what’s more biggest is that Sotheby, which is one of the oldest auction houses, has also decided to move with the latest trends. Now, these are the NFT or non-fungible tokens, which this auction house is focused on.

Well, you might be wondering what the NFTs are in the very first place, so let us be clear here. There are digital assets, and technically, these are similar to cryptocurrency. Therefore, the ownership for these tokens also works in a similar way as for the ownership of cryptocurrencies, and more recently, NFTs are holding their place for investment as well as for buying.

NFT is like a digital asset that reflects the cost of an online art piece, such as music, painting, video, etc., in the real world. These are bought and sold online while maintaining proof for any item, and they are secured via blockchains. So, these fungible tokens work in a way like if you exchange a 1 dollar bill, you get the same 1 dollar, but this time it has a different serial number.

Getting Synchronized

An endeavour to get synchronized with the latest trends, such as doing business in cryptocurrency, could be one of the many reasons that Sotheby has embraced the NFT bandwagon. Another reason is that all the artwork auction is taken to the online selling. Reportedly, in June 2021, Sotheby and Robert Alice co-curated its first auction under “Natively Digital: A Curated NFT Sale”.

The Main Collaborator

Sotheby has partnered with a digital artist called Pak for the transaction of digital assets. Pak is an anonymous person or a group who has been working in digital art for decades. The main reason behind this anonymity of identity is that the artist wants more focus on the art pieces and wants to be known with them. Moreover, Sotheby is a company that was established in 1744, and since then, it has been recognized primarily for selling art pieces and paintings worth of million dollars. Recently, it has embraced this NFT-digital transaction platform, and the company took this big step after watching Christie’s auction worth $70 billion for an artwork of a collage.

According to the experts, NFTs are revolutionary for bringing the new arts in the field, and it is a way to get across traditional ways of the physical world into the virtual and fast world of auctioning the art, which could be a form of ‘new aesthetics.’ Therefore, it could be a small step for expecting something really wonderful in the near future.

According to the experienced NFT auctioneers for wearable items, it is very difficult to grasp the concept of crypto for real items, and it may take some time for people to get accustomed to such novel ways. It is similar to the fact that many people still cannot understand betting at e-sports, such as at https://vulkan-bt.com/. So, it is all about educating the people, and currently, there are very few people who have a knack for understanding modern trends.  

How Actually NFT Works?

For an easy understanding, let’s use analogies from the real world. For example, there is this Mona Lisa painting, and everyone might own a copy of it, but not the real piece. Well, the auctioned pieces of art are those who have value for their originality, and therefore, they are sold expensively. Similarly, if you like music, then you can own a copy of the music and can’t convince people that you have a master recording of your favourite art piece. In a similar manner, you can have digital copies of art pieces, and you can showcase them online; but, the main distinguishable feature of NFT blockchain is that it authorizes a person if he/she owns an authentic art piece.

So, there is this online space, which will take care of your art piece and prove that you’re a real owner of Mona Lisa painting, Thriller music, or any other similar piece.

Sotheby on NFT Hipe

After the whole discussion, we could see that Sotheby has a progressive approach for introducing novelty in the artworks. Also, this is an era of post-digital currency, which means that the money has moved beyond credit and debit cards to blockchains, and it could be the best place for the business settings. Therefore, Sotheby has this visionary approach to get into the main streamline of the NFT bandwagon, and it is a potential place where the new users might be moving in, and at the same time, NFT will be benefitting from providing business space for such an established brand. As an exchange, it will turn NFT into a legitimate and legal space for businesses worth billions of dollars. 

 

Sharjah wins a fourth Matheson Hurdle

Sharjah (5/6f) joined Hurricane Fly and Istabraq as a four-time winner of the Matheson Hurdle, when claiming the feature race on day 4 of Leopardstown Christmas Festival.

Winner of the two-mile event for the past three years, the Patrick Mullins-ridden bay gelding battled Zanahiyr (5/1) by a neck in the closing stages of the long run-in, as the final hurdle was omitted due to the low sun.

An ultra-consistent son of Doctor Dino as a 10-time winner  – six at Grade 1 level – and 20-times placed horse, Sharjah now brings his career earning to almost €900,000. It was a 21st Grade 1 success for the winning trainer’s jockey son, Patrick.

Elliott and Kennedy take another Grade 1

There was another Grade 1 chase victory for Gordon Elliott on the final day of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. The Cullentra House Stables handler produced a 1-2 in the Neville Hotels Novice Chase.

In the 8-runner race over 3 miles, it was the outsider of Elliott’s two runners that claimed the €59,000 top prize. Jack Kennedy steered Fury Road (7/1) to a comfortable 8 length win from the Davy Russell-ridden favourite Run Wild Fred (9/4f). The prominent Vanillier (5/2) stayed on for third spot, 10 lengths behind the runner-up, and just a short-head in front of Max Flamingo (28/1) in fourth.

Royal Kahala benefits from step up in distance

The Grade 3 Advent Surety Irish EBF Mares Hurdle saw the return to action of the Closutton Racing Club-owned Shewearsitwell (9/4f). Unbeaten in three runs to date, the daughter of Shirocco hadn’t seen a racecourse since Tipperary in October 2020. It wasn’t to be a successful return, however, as the filly and Paul Townend parted company at the first hurdle after the main stand.

It was Royal Kahala (11/4), up in distance from 2 miles 2 furlongs, who took the spoils, wearing down the brave front-running Heaven Help Us (5/1) at the line, winning by a neck from the Paul Hennessy-handled daughter of Yeats, with a further length back to the top-weight Telmesomethinggirl (11/1).

Journey With Me Remains Unbeaten

Kilcruit, beaten at odd of 1/14 at Cork earlier this month, went on a retrieval mission in the Pigsback.com Maiden Hurdle, but this time around the Willie Mullins-handled son of Stowaway found two his better.

Journey With Me (3/1), trained by Henry De Bromhead for Robcour, and ridden by Rachael Blackmore, maintain his unbeaten race record, having previously won a Point-to-Point at Ballindenisk and then a bumper at Gowran Park, when coming home with three and a half lengths to spare over Minella Crooner (12/1) with race favourite Kilcruit (4/9f) well held a further length and a quarter back in third.

Winning trainer Henry De Bromhead said of Journey With Me: “I’m delighted with him – he’s a lovely horse.”

Philip Rothwell’s Siberian Star (8/1) was an easy 11-length winner of the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Steeplechase under jockey Paddy O’Hanlon for owners Scrub A Dub Dub Syndicate.

The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Handicap Hurdle went the way of Good Time Johnny (6/1) for Meath trainer Tony Martin and jockey Kevin Sexton – a double on the day for the rider.

The concluding Plusvital Flat Race was won by The Nice Guy (1/1), completing a double on the day for Patrick and Willie Mullins. It also gave the Closutton team a clean sweep of all four bumpers at the 2021 Leopardstown Christmas Festival.

Can Ireland Dominate the Cheltenham Festival Again in 2022?

The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle meeting when it comes to national hunt racing in the UK and Ireland. Last season, the festival resulted in a complete and utter dominance for Ireland, who went on to win 23 of the 28 races that took place over the four days.

We know all about the established stars that will hopefully be heading to Cheltenham once again, and some of the star performances from the up-and-coming horses have also been seen in Ireland, which further strengthens things. Of course, the countdown is important to see which horses are impressing, and following racing results today and in the future will be key for any punter that is trying to put together their own form book and work out who they think will come out on top at the festival.

The start to the new horse racing season has been strong for Ireland, and if that continues during the start of 2022, by the time we reach March and the festival, hopes will be high that more winners will come. Reaching the heights of last season may be a tough ask, but 20 winners is certainly a target to aim for that, which would work out at five winners per day on average across the meeting.

Who Will be the Stars for Ireland?

While the winners last season were spread across the major races at the meeting and the handicaps, it is of course the stars of Irish racing that everyone looks forward to seeing.

The two feature races of the meeting, the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup, take centre stage on the opening and final day of the festival, and both already have strong Irish challengers at the head of the betting.

Honeysuckle won the Champion Hurdle in great style last season, and she is on course to come back and defend her crown. If there is a new contender to trouble here, that could well be Appreciate It, who will stay hurdling this season, and recorded a wide-margin victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last season.

In the main contest of the week, the Gold Cup, all eyes will be on the rematch between 2021 winner Minella Indo and the runner-up that day, A Plus Tard. The second named has already been out and impressed this season, winning at Haydock on seasonal reappearance in good style.

Not only did Ireland have the first two home in the Gold Cup last season, but they also had the third, with previous two-time winner Al Boum Photo running well for Willie Mullins. Given the strength in depth that Ireland have in this division, even if one of their horses either cannot make the race or disappoints on the day, many alternatives could take the crown.

Elsewhere, previous big race winners such as Allaho, Bob Olinger, Flooring Porter will all be going back to Cheltenham with expectations on their shoulders and could play their part in another successful festival for Ireland.

Galvin and Davy Russell win Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown

Galvin won the Grade 1 Savills Chase, the highlight of day 3 at Leopardstown today, while Klassical Dream took Tuesday’s other Grade 1, the Dornan Engineering Christmas Hurdle.

Galvin and Davy Russell got up in the shadows of the post to snatch the Savills Chase from last winner A Plus Tard and 2019 Punchestown Gold Cup victor Kemboy.

The Ronnie Bartlett-owned winner, who claimed the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last season, was runner-up to Frodon at Down Royal on his last start.

Kemboy lead from flag fall and looked to have run most of the field into submission until the race favourite A Plus Tard made eye-catching progress on the outside of the field as they approached two from home.

With the Henry De Bromhead-trained Rachael Blackmore-ridden odd-on favourite looking the most likely winner, Russell soon moved Galvin outside of the eventual runner-up and third-placed horse as they approached the final fence.

With A Plus Tard finding it difficult to put daylight between himself and Melon, Russell and Galvin rallied close home to deny A Plus Tard by a short head with a further three-quarters of a length back to the brave Kemboy in third.

Klassical Dream wins Christmas Hurdle

Klassical Dream (7/4f), a former 2 mile novice star, won the Grade 1 Dornan Engineering Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown this afternoon.

A winner at his first attempt at the staying distance at the Punchestown Festival last April, Klassical Dream took back-to-back Grade 1 wins, and claimed the €59,000 first prize.

The Joanne Coleman-owned French-bred was in the lead, or sharing the lead, throughout the three mile contest. His nearest rival during the race, and also on the home straight, was last season’s Stayers’ Hurdle winner at Cheltenham Flooring Porter.

It was a seventh winner of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival 2021 for the successful handler, Willie Mullins, who was also responsible for the third-placed Burning Victory.

Mullins treble

Mullins completed a double when Paul Townend guided Galopin Des Champs to a highly impressive victory in the Ballymaloe Relish Beginners Chase.

The odds-on former Punchestown Grade 1-winner over hurdles was never in danger on his first start over fences as he passed the winning post 22 lengths clear of Ain’t That A Shame (10/1) with another 16 lengths back to Floueur (10/1) in third.

The champion trainer completed a treble when taking the concluding bumper with Redemption Day (8/11f) under his son Patrick.

First racecourse winner for Ellen Doyle

The opening Savills Maiden Hurdle over 2 miles 4 furlongs went to the Ellen Doyle-trained Howyabud, ridden by Jack Foley. The 25/1 chance, bred and owned by Kilkenny hurler Charlie Carter, beat the Willie Mullins import Horantzau D’airy (11/10f) by six lengths and the October Point-to-Point winner Secret She Keeps (16/1) from the Henry De Bromhead yard was a further five and a half lengths back in third.

Another Christmas winner for JP McManus

The good Christmas form of horses owned by JP McManus continued with the victory of Priory Park (92/jf) in the Irish Daily Star Christmas Handicap Hurdle under jockey Mark Walsh. The gelded son of Dylan Thomas was following up on his November success at Thurles for handler Edward O’Grady as he beat Nazine (25/1), Silvertown (14/1) and Carrig Rock (9/1).

Curragh-based trainer Martin Brassil won the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle (Qualifier) with 25/1 shot Panda Boy, with JJ Slevin in the saddle. In a hotly-contest qualifier for the Cheltenham Festival, the five-year-old grey son of Valirann won his second career race as he held off Winter Fog (8/1), Futurum Regum (22/1) and the 6/1 favourite A Great View.

Tomorrow is the final day of the 2021 Leopardstown Christmas Festival.

Mighty Potter gives Jack Kennedy first Grade 1 success since returning from injury

Top trainers Gordon Elliott and Henry De Bromhead shared the Grade 1 races on Day 2 of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival as Mighty Potter and Envoi Allen took Monday’s main races.

Mighty Potter (5/2) was a first Grade 1 success for rider Jack Kennedy since his return from injury. The Gordon Ellliot-handled bay gelding won the €100,000 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle over 2 miles for owners Caldwell Construction Ltd. In what was a one-two for Elliott, Three Stripe Life and Davy Russell were second at 4/1.

“It was great for Jack – his first winner back,” said Gordon Elliott. “The other horse (Three Stripe Life) is also a nice horse. I was happy the whole way until the second last but he got wiped out at the second last – both horses did. Both showed guts to comeback – two nice horses for the future.”

Envoi Allen wins Grade 1 Chase

The first Grade 1 of the day, The Paddy’s Rewards Steeplechase, saw just three go to post with the early morning defection of Chacun Pour Soi. This left Battleoverdoyen, Envoi Allen and Sizing Pottsie to battle it out for the €125,000 contest over 2 miles 1 furlong.

With Sizing Pottsie prominent early doors, the Seán O’Keeffe-ridden runner was the first beaten, and would finish the race without the assistance of the rider in the saddle. The Gigginstown House Stud-owned Battleoverdoyen (9/2) and Cheveley Park Stud’s Envoi Allen (2/5f) then took one another on as they battled until the final fence.

Envoi Allen, who was down from 2m 4 furlongs at Punchestown, and last season’s Aintree Grand National-winning rider Rachael Blackmore pulled clear from the last fence, eventually claiming the €73,750 first prize by seven and a half lengths from the Jack Kennedy-ridden runner-up Battleoverdoyen.

“We had a bit of scare there turning in but he put his head down,” said winning jockey Rachael Blackmore. “I think Henry was definitely right to step him back. Obviously with Chacun Pour Soi being out it changed the dynamic of the race.”

School Boy Hours claims €200,000 Paddy Power Chase

Top owner JP McManus was mob-handed in the richest race of the day, the Paddy Power Chase over 3 miles.

It was one of the low weights, School Boy Hours (12/1), carrying 10-08 that took the spoils for handler Noel Meade and jockey Seán Flanagan.

In the 28-runner field, top weight Coco Beach made most of the early running under seven-pound claimer Rob James. The early exertions took their toll as the Gigginstown House Stud runner faded before the business end of the race.

Ben Dundee (33/1), owned by Chris Jones, gave School Boy Hours most to do in the dying stages, but the McManus runner held him at bay by half a length, with Enjoy D’allen (28/1) two and a half lengths further back in third, ahead of Braeside (14/1), Death Duty and Birchdale.

Icare Allen wins on Irish debut

The French-bred Icare Allen took the opening 3-Y-O- Maiden Hurdle for Willie Mullins, jockey Mark Walsh and owner JP McManus. Walsh, who switched from another McManus-owned runner, Brazil, was a three-length victor on his Irish debut, having previously won over a mile and a half in France last August. The Peter Fahy-trained Privilege was a big-priced runner-up at 80/1 while Vera Verto (11/2) from the Gavin Cromwell yard took third.

“Lovely horse. He did it very well and had been working well at home,” Willie Mullins explained. “In fact the only bad bit of work he did was the one where I took him away to see how good he was and he worked desperate.”

Haut En Couleurs takes Beginners Chase

Willie Mullins quickly brought up a double when 1/3 favourite Haut En Couleurs won the Paddy Power Games Beginners Chase under Paul Townend. In the colours of the Donnellys, the French-bred four year old son of Saint Des Saints led home a 1-2-3 for the Closutton handler as Gentleman De Mee (5/1) took the runner-up position with front runner Mt Leinster bringing up the trifecta – both of the placed horses conceding 6 pounds to the winner.

“I think he looks Arkle material, and maybe Gentleman De Mee too,” admitted the winning handler post-race, “I think both horses will improve from the run.”

Brides Hill was game in making all in the Paddy Power ‘I’ve Had More Vaccines Than Nights Out’ Handicap Hurdle under Luke Depmsey. In the colours of the Brides Hill Syndicate, the Gavin Cromwell-trained four year old daughter of Dylan Thomas came home in splendid isolation at a price of 16/1.

How to select best online betting app for cricket

India is a cricket-crazed country where the sport is revered as if it were a religion, and sportsmen are idolised. While the two teams of 11 players sweat it out on the field, millions of others are riveted to their televisions, experiencing the same euphoria. There are also many people that play the game digitally, completely immersed in it by making wagers on it. Betting on the internet has grown in popularity in recent years. As the IPL season approaches, more people will be looking to take bets and make some fast cash.

Withdrawal

Looking to withdraw your potential winnings before the end of the match? Your betting provider should give you this option in their app. According to 22BET, the company that offers a withdrawal option as part of the cricket betting apps it offers, they claim “with this withdrawal option, the customer can be held accountable for the fate of his bets by how to withdraw part of the potential winning amount before the end of the game”. Also, keep an eye on the terms and conditions associated with this option. Without terms and conditions, it’s usually a red flag, so be careful. 

User-friendly and professional application It can be extremely frustrating to navigate a cricket betting app that is not user-friendly. If you’re struggling to find what you want or are having a hard time placing a bet, find a provider that prides itself on making their service user-friendly. Key things to keep in mind: 

Wide range of betting options 

Approx. all famous cricket betting apps will have many betting options, but you must do some research. Things like head-to-head betting, most races and most matches allow you to put your cricket knowledge to the test. However, it is essential that you understand all the options available to you. Also, it is essential that you have a spending limit and respect it. Of course, the many betting options can be tempting, but they can also be overwhelming. Make sure you do your research and understand all the options as efficiently as possible. 

Promotions and Offers 

Look for promotions and offers to make your betting experience more enjoyable. For example, providers like 22BET offer welcome bonuses, as well as other bonuses, that reduce your risk. Incentives like these are an opportunity to minimize your losses while still profiting from betting on stocks. 

 Withdrawal 

There are two main things to keep in mind here: 

  • Reputable betting providers allow withdrawal of winnings. This is, of course, a minimum requirement. Suspected providers will not make withdrawals, so keep an eye out for legitimate ones.
  • Withdrawal speed: you can process your financial transactions as quickly as possible. If a cricket betting app offers this well, then you know you are dealing with a good provider. 

Support 

Does the app provide details about who to contact for support? Reputable vendors will be there to help you if you have any questions or difficulties. So as part of your search for a cricket betting app, be sure to check if the company has a support contact you can contact. 

Choose the right event to bet on Cricket matches are played throughout the year in all three formats i.e. Test, One Day and 2020 matches. It is helpful if you decide in advance on which event you want to focus on, as the search requirements for all of these formats vary. It also varies depending on national and international events. For example, players’ abilities and skills when playing in different game types will vary and only a small number of players will be able to play to their full potential in all three game types. Most are excellent in every way and lousy in every way is different. Therefore, determining the type of play that you will participate in is extremely necessary from which to research and analyse accordingly. 

Understanding bet types 

There are different [valid where legal] cricket bets are available and not all take place on all sites. The bets available on a particular portal depend on the bookmaker. Some bets are standard and available on all betting portals as “match outcome” bets where the bet is won or lost depending on the outcome of the match. Odds bets, however, vary from port to port. These bets can be placed on number six, number four, total limit in one half, top scorer, top scorer, man of the match and more. They cannot be instinctively placed and require extensive study and understanding of the game. You need to place an informed call about the bets you want to place based on the granularity of your research and the reliability of your analysis.

 

So, while utilising a cricket betting app, there are a few things to bear in mind. It’s all about having a safe and enjoyable experience at the end of the day, so find a trustworthy supplier and stay to a budget.

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