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Chelsea injury update: Kante and James return to training

The Premier League is back this weekend and there is some very positive news on the busy Chelsea injury table

The Good News

Manager Thomas Tuchel may need to keep an eye on the Chelsea injury list as he makes his team selection for Saturday. The club has officially announced that their star midfielder Ngolo Kante and young defender Reece James have returned to training.

The French box-to-box midfielder had to isolate after testing positive for Covid-19 before Chelsea’s game against Manchester City. This also led to him missing out on international duty with France. This rest has allowed him to return his fitness at the Chelsea training ground.

As for James, he suffered an ankle injury while playing the match against City. After missing England’s two World Cup qualifier matches, the club has confirmed that he has left the swimming pool and joined his teammates on the pitch.

The Not so Good News

The Blues still have some concerns going into the weekend. Their main centre half this season Antonio Rudiger had to sit out of Germany’s thrashing of North Macedonia.

Although German coach Hansi Flick said that Rudiger’s back injury was not serious, it will be something that Stamford Bridge will need to keep an eye on.

Another problem for Chelsea is their American winger, Christian Pulisic. The former Dortmund player has not featured much since the opening game of the season. This is mainly due to a positive Covid-19 test and an ankle injury. There is hope in the camp that he will return to training in the coming weeks.

Lastly, the Blues’ most expensive player, Romelu Lukaku was released from the Belgium national team camp last week. It is understood that the physical striker suffered a muscle injury.

Little is known about the injury but Chelsea will want him back in full health as soon as possible.

Tuchel will want to have his squad in shape as challenges newly-promoted Brentford in the league. The match will kick off at 17:30 on Saturday, 16th October in the Brentford Community Stadium.

To read more in-depth and up-to-date Premier League and international club football news, click here.

McEntee to stay on with Meath for 2022 season

Meath GAA Andy McEntee

Andy McEntee will see out the final year of his current contract with Meath after surviving a vote on his position as manager of the county’s senior footballers.

The vote took place at a county board meeting and was held in secret after the Meath executive recommended that the incumbent’s term with the side not be extended.

The executive had voted 8-7 in favour of letting the former Meath minor manager go but the clubs rejected the recommendation put forward.

LMFM Radio reported that the management committee did not receive the two-thirds majority it needed and that the Yes votes outweighed the no votes.

46 voted in favour of retaining McEntee for another year while 27 agreed with the committee. There was one spoiled vote.

The former Ballyboden St Enda’s manager has been at the helm of his native county’s senior side since 2016 and has taken them to Division One as well as two Leinster finals.

However, the county are yet to win a Leinster title since 2010 and have struggled to bridge the gap between themselves and Dublin on several occasions.

The Royals exited the Leinster Senior Football Championship at the semi-final stage this year after losing to Dublin by three points in a loss that also marked the end of their All-Ireland Senior Football Championship campaign.

Their second-half performance in the match was hailed by many as they came close to stopping Dublin, who won their 11th Delaney Cup in a row this year before eventually falling short to All-Ireland finalists Mayo.

Meath GAA announced the news on social media after the meeting had taken place: “The Meath G.A.A. County Committee has decided to endorse Andy McEntee as the County Senior Football Manager for 2022.

“Andy McEntee will now complete his three-year term and we are excited for the new year of Gaelic games to come.”

Penalty save denies Ireland U21 important point

The Republic of Ireland U21 narrowly lost 2-1 away to Montenegro in their UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifier in Podgorica on Tuesday evening

Goals from Nikola Krstovic and Ivan Vukcevic in the opening 10 minutes put Montenegro in front. This forced Jim Crawford’s Ireland U21 side to chase the game. They almost turned it around too with Mark McGuinness forcing Ognjen Obradovic into scoring an own goal before Conor Coventry saw a late penalty kick saved.

This loss now drops Ireland to fourth place in the group, four points off leaders Sweden. They do still have a game in hand but will be in dire need of a win.

 

Having beaten Luxembourg in Tallaght Stadium last week, confidence was high in the Irish squad.  Instead, they got caught early on with Krstovic scoring after just three minutes.

The tricky attacker raced onto a through ball before rounding the goalkeeper Brian Maher, slotting the ball home.

Montenegro doubled their advantage following a quick, incisive move. A deflected cross from the flank was dummied by Ivan Vukcevic but Krstovic quickly touched the ball back into his path and from a tight angle, the forward blasted it into the roof of the net.

For a brief moment just past the half an hour mark, Ireland thought they had conceded a third but they were relieved to see that Krstovic’s powerful finish with his head was correctly disallowed as he was stood in an offside position.

Ireland grew into the match following that let off but they couldn’t get the goal to half the deficit before the interval as Will Ferry saw a lob deflect just wide before his crossfield pass picked out Alex Gilbert, whose low drive from the edge of the box was saved.

They remained on top throughout the second 45 but it wasn’t until the 73rd minute that they gave themselves hope.

McGuinness reacted well to head home after the Montenegrins failed to deal with an in-swinging corner.

Substitute JJ Kayode almost nodded in a leveler within seconds of coming on but he could only turn Ferry’s cross wide of the near post.

After Ross Tierney and Kayode were denied what looked like certain penalties, Ireland was finally awarded a spot-kick in the 83rd minute when Jake O’Brien was fouled inside the area.

But Coventry couldn’t convert his second penalty in a few days. The Montenegro keeper made a great save low to his left to secure their win.

Next up is a doubleheader against Italy and Sweden as Crawford’s team return to Tallaght Stadium next month.

Starting Teams:

Montenegro: Izevic; Pesukic, Perovic, Babic, Raznatovic; Krstovic, Janjic, Vukotic (Divanovic ht); Vukcevic (Obradovic 70), Sijaric, Krstovic (Kujovic 57).

Republic of Ireland: Maher; O’Connor, O’Brien, McGuinness, Bagan; Coventry, Kilkenny (Devoy 77), Tierney (Kayode 77); Gilbert (O’Neill 60), Ferry, Ferguson (Whelan 60).

To read more in-depth and up-to-date Irish and international football news, click here.

GRI: Budget allocation will deliver expanded care and welfare programme

Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) / Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI) today welcomes the budget allocation of €17.6m for greyhound racing from the Horse & Greyhound Fund.

GRI says the allocation will assist with the continued significant expansion of a range of care and welfare initiatives during 2022 and assist with the commercial challenges as the industry recovers from the impact of restrictions experienced during the pandemic.

The governing body for Greyhound Racing in Ireland says the Horse & Greyhound Fund is critically important for an industry that made net contributions to the Irish economy of €132.3M and supported 4,150 full-time and part-time jobs in 2019, the last full year of operation.

“Key priorities of the Board for the remainder of 2021 and throughout 2022 include the continued expansion to the Care and Welfare Programme and the restoration of commercial activities post-COVID-19,” explained Mr Frank Nyhan, Chair of the Board of GRI.

“Income generated from gate admissions, tote operations, restaurant facilities and other areas have been severely impacted by Covid-19 and like other sporting organisations across the country, GRI has greatly benefited from Government support in recent Budgets.

“While last year’s Budget allocation and additional government employee support schemes assisted the organisation in countering some of this lost income, it also enabled GRI to continue expanding on the range of care and welfare initiatives that it operates.”

Mr Nyhan added: “During our engagement with our parent department in recent months we emphasised the crucial need for continued funding to ensure our comprehensive plans regarding animal welfare are delivered along with the commercial and operating challenges encountered since the beginning of the pandemic.  On behalf of the Board and the wider greyhound racing community in Ireland, I would like to acknowledge the Government’s ongoing support for our industry.”

He said that the GRI has invested significantly in its care and welfare programme during 2021 despite the impact on commercial operations during COVID-19.

He confirmed that the funding allocated to greyhound racing under the Horse & Greyhound Fund will assist the organisation in its care and welfare programme expansion plans for the remainder of the year and throughout 2022.

The plans include a further expansion of the Care Centre/Foster Centre Programme and continuing to financially incentivise the rehoming of greyhounds in Ireland through additional supports through the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust (IRGT).

From January to September 2021, the rehoming of 1,610 greyhounds have been achieved compared to 1,775 for the full year of 2020.

Additionally, further investment will be required for the next phase of the rollout of the Rásaíocht Con Éireann Traceability System (RCÉTS), which was launched in January 2021.

Ireland thrash PNG in T20 World Cup warm-up match

Ireland continued their build-up to the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a thumping eight-wicket win over Papua New Guinea on Tuesday.

After PNG won the toss and chose to bat first, Craig Young made Ireland’s first breakthrough with the dismissal of Tony Ura for 2 in the second over, and Charles Amini then fell for 4 to Simi Singh in the final over of the powerplay. Sese Bau and Assad Vala – the skipper who top-scored with 32 – strung together a partnership of 23, but regular breakthroughs meant the PNG innings never caught fire.

Ben White fired in a wide delivery to have Bau stumped for 12 in the 12th over, and the leg-spinner removed Vala minutes later for his second. Jason Kila was White’s final victim, bowled for 2 after failing to connect from his sweep. Mark Adair and Young joined in on the fun of targeting the stumps, with the remaining three wickets in the innings all bowled.

PNG finished on 96-8, with White the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 3-10 from four overs. Young too claimed a three-for, conceding 15 runs.

With the bat, Ireland lost Kevin O’Brien and Gareth Delany in the powerplay – aiming to go big over the off side, O’Brien (8 off 12) chopped on; Delany (5 off 7) was cleaned up by Simon Atai after failing to connect with a late cut.

But Andrew Balbirnie and Curtis Campher took Ireland home with a substantial unbeaten partnership of 71, with both batters finishing on 42 not out. While the Ireland captain was more patient in batting for 46 deliveries, Campher provided power, cracking three fours and two sixes during his 35-ball stay.

Ireland’s final warm-up match ahead of the World Cup takes place on Thursday against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi.

After the game, captain Balbirnie said: “It’s always nice to get a win and put in a solid performance all round. The pitch was a slow, low and tired wicket, but our bowlers were very accurate throughout and executed their bowling plans well.”

 “My foot is fine, it’s still not pain-free, but certainly having a clear X-ray has been a great boost knowing that not much more damage can be done. I just have to remember, it’s better to use your bat rather than your boot.”

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Men v PNG Men, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Warm-Up, Sheikh Zayed Stadium Nursery 1, Abu Dhabi, 12 October 2021

PNG 96-8 (20 overs; A Vala 31; B White 3-10, C Young 3-15)
Ireland 99-2 (16.4 overs; A Balbirnie 42*, C Campher 42*; S Atai 1-28)

Ireland won by 8 wickets (with 20 balls remaining)

Ireland midfielder Josh Cullen ruled out of Qatar match with injury

Ireland midfielder Josh Cullen has been ruled out of Tuesday night’s match against Qatar through injury with Jason Knight coming into the matchday 23 in his place.

Will Keane, who earned his first senior international call-up for the October international window, has not been selected – neither has Celtic’s Liam Scales.

Caoimhin Kelleher has been selected ahead of his first start for Ireland in front of a sell-out crowd of 25,000 Irish fans, including his family.

All players that made an appearance against Azerbaijan in Ireland’s first competitive win under Stephen Kenny, excluding Cullen, are named in the squad.

Harry Arter, Enda Stevens and James Collins are also among those included in the squad for the match.

The Republic of Ireland will wear a special edition 100th anniversary kit for their international friendly against Qatar on Tuesday night.

Ireland will wear the shirt to mark the centenary of the creation of the Football Association of Ireland, the governing body of the sport in the country.

The FAI was founded in September 1921 by the Free State League (now League of Ireland) and the Leinster FA, which had withdrawn from the Irish Football Association (IFA) in June of that year.

Umbro revealed the limited edition jersey back in August – it is a blue home jersey that contains a simple design with a retro shamrock crest and discreet blue-on-blue Umbro logo.

The colour of the shirt, described as ‘St Patrick’s Blue’ is a nod to the colour of the very first Republic of Ireland kit, which was the same colour.

The goalkeeper jersey, which will be worn by Liverpool number two Caoimhin Kelleher, is a yellow version of the shirt.

The year ‘1921’ is embroidered onto the back of the shirt underneath the grandad collar to mark the centenary.

The match details have been embroidered underneath the shamrock crest and read ‘v Qatar 12/10/21’.

The full matchday squad can be seen below.

Tipperary SHC 2021 quarterfinals – Preview, Betting, Fixtures

The Tipperary SHC and Seamus O’Riain tournament moves into the quarter-final stages this weekend as the competition heats up

There has already been some drama and entertainment in the Tipperary SHC this year.

Senior ‘A’ titleholders Kiladangan look like a strong side again this year. They finished at the top of their group but left it till the end to win each of their three games against Loughmore Castleieney, JK Brackens, and Moycarkey-Borris.

Loughmore comfortably dispatched Killenaule last week in a play-off decider to make it this far. They have now been rewarded with having to face another one of the county’s favorites in Kilruane MacDonaghs at the weekend.

The top guns of the competition will still be Thurles Sarsfields as they look to reclaim the title. After breezing past their group opponents, they will now play Clonoulty/Rossmore.

Elsewhere, the Seamus O’Riain competition has seen some stand-out performances by some of the county’s ‘B’ teams. A Lar Corbett driven Thurles is turning heads as they face St Mary’s this weekend.

The other ‘B’ team, Kiladangan will have a much tougher task as they challenge the favorites Killenaule on Saturday.

Upcoming Knockout fixtures:

Tipperary SHC fixtures:

Friday 15th October

Cathail S Ciocam v Borris-Ileigh – 19:30 – Semple Stadium, Thurles – (referee) Kevin Jordan

Saturday 16th October

Thurles Sarsfield v Clonoulty/Rossmore – 15:00 – Semple Stadium, Thurles – (referee) Conor Doyle

Kilruane MacDonaghs v Loughmore Castleieney – 17:00 – Semple Stadium, Thurles – (referee) John McCormack

Sunday 17th October

Kiladangan v Upperchurch-Drombane – 14:00 – Semple Stadium, Thurles – Michael Kennedy

 

Seamus O’Riain fixtures: 

Saturday 16th October

Clonakenny v Cashel King Cormacs – 13:30 – Templemore GAA – (referee) Alan Tierney

Killenaule v Kiladangan B – 15:00 – Templederry GAA – (referee) John Dooley

Sunday 17th October

Thurles Sarsfields B v St Mary – 13:00 – Leahy Park, Cashel

Templederry v Gortnahoe-Glengoole – 13:30 – Templetouhy GAA – (referee) Noel Cosgrove

 

Tipperary SHC Outright Betting

Thurles Sarsfields 13/8

Kiladangan 2/1

Borrisoleigh 9/2

Loughmore 13/2

Kilruane 7/1

Clonoulty 20/1

Mullinahone 40/1

Upperchurch-Drombane 40/1

 

Seamus O’Riain Outright Betting

Killenaule 2/1

Cashel 11/4

Templederry 7/2

Thurles Sarsfields B 9/2

St Marys 15/2

Gortnahoe/Glengoole 14/1

Clonakenny 33/1

Kiladangan B 40/1

 

To read more in-depth and up-to-date club and intercounty GAA news, click here.

Women’s Lions feasibility study group announced

The British & Irish Lions has announced the formation of a Women’s Lions feasibility steering group that is tasked with looking into the feasibility of establishing a Women’s Lions team which may lead to the formation of one.

The 13-person group will be chaired by British & Irish Lion, Ieuan Evans, and is made up of experienced administrators from across professional rugby, business executives, as well as former international standard athletes from the world of sport.

IRFU Director of Sevens and Women’s rugby Anthony Eddy and former Munster and Ireland star Niamh Briggs are part of the group.

The study is being funded by Lions Global Partner, Royal London, who are also the inaugural ‘Principal Partner’ of the Women’s Lions programme.

The full 13-person group can be seen below.

  • Ieuan Evans MBE (Chair) – British & Irish Lion and The British & Irish Lions board member
  • Ben Calveley – managing director, The British & Irish Lions
  • Susie Logan – group chief marketing Officer, Royal London
  • Joanna Manning-Cooper – group director of corporate affairs, Sky
  • Max Taylor – consumer director, Vodafone
  • Simon Rowe – head of global sports marketing, Canterbury
  • Sue Day MBE – chief operating & financial officer, RFU and RFU Board, Rugby Football Union
  • Anthony Eddy – director of Sevens and women’s rugby, Irish Rugby Football Union
  • Gemma Fay – head of girls & women’s strategy, Scottish Rugby
  • Hannah John – women’s high-performance lead (acting), Welsh Rugby Union
  • Nicky Ponsford – women’s high-performance manager, World Rugby
  • Shaunagh Brown – senior player, Harlequins Women and England
  • Niamh Briggs – senior player, Munster and Ireland, club coach and Garda SĂ­ochĂĄna (Police) Officer

The study will be undertaken by a specialist consulting firm which will be appointed by the steering group.

“We are excited to have put together such a stellar list of individuals who I know will add value to this project,” said Calveley.

“I believe a Women’s Lions team is a huge opportunity, but there are a number of challenges to consider when looking to create a successful women’s set-up. Financial viability, suitable opposition and appropriate scheduling in the women’s rugby calendar will all need rigorous analysis, research and careful consideration.

“We are very grateful to be working with a purpose-driven organisation like Royal London on this initiative. Our broader commercial family – including Sky, Vodafone and Canterbury – have also committed to provide their expertise and play an active role in the feasibility analysis.”

Ieuan Evans, added: “Women’s rugby is experiencing unprecedented growth around the world with participation levels continuing to increase every year.

“A Women’s Lions team is a big opportunity for the women’s game, and I am looking forward to working with the Steering Group to assess its viability.”

Commenting on the announcement Logan said: “We are committed to levelling the playing field in sport and we’re delighted to be supporting this important study to understand if the creation of a British & Irish Lions team for women will be possible.

“We want to support a society that is inclusive and benefits everyone, and this partnership with the Lions is a great opportunity to grow women’s rugby.”

Ireland head coach Tumilty announces experienced side for WC qualifiers

Ireland senior men’s national hockey team Head Coach Mark Tumilty has opted for an experienced side for their World Cup qualifiers later this month.

World number 14 ranked Ireland need to win their first two games – starting off against Russia on Thursday, October 21st in the quarter-final – to land a place at the 2023 showpiece event to be played in India.

Should Ireland win that tie, they will face either Wales or Italy on Saturday, October 23 for a place at the World Cup.

France are the only side rated higher than Ireland that will be competing for a spot at the World Cup but they are on the other side of the draw.

Ireland earned a spot in the qualifier after coming third in August’s EuroHockey Championship II in Poland.

Since then, Olympian Conor Harte has returned to the side while Luke Madeley, Jamie Carr and Lee Cole are also available having missed out on playing time at the Euros when they were deemed close contacts in the lead-up to the event.

11 of the team that saw game time in Poland have been called up for the qualifiers at the end of the month.

The side will head into the qualifiers after sharing a series on short notice with Malaysia in Lisnagarvey last week.

To see the women’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers, click here.

Ireland men’s squad for World Cup qualifiers (club/caps)
Jamie Carr (GK, KHC Leuven, 34)
Mark Ingram (GK, Pembroke, 27)
Tom Cross (Annadale, 22)
Luke Madeley (KHC Leuven, 23)
Lee Cole (Monkstown, 90)
Conor Harte (KHC Dragons, 254)
Peter McKibbin (Lisnagarvey, 8)
Kyle Marshall (Old Georgians, 7)
Shane O’Donoghue (Glenanne, 197)
Sean Murray (captain, KHC Leuven, 85)
Neal Glassey (Crefelder HTC, 67)
Daragh Walsh (KHC Leuven, 58)
Michael Robson (Annadale, 120)
Johnny McKee (Banbridge, 49)
Conor Empey (SCHC, 2)
Sam Hyland (YMCA, 2)
Ben Walker (Braxgata, 42)
Jeremy Duncan (Monkstown, 63)

Travelling reserves
Matthew Nelson (Lisnagarvey, 69)
Kevin O’Dea (UCD, 7)

Head Coach: Mark Tumilty
Assistant coach: Jason Klinkradt
Manager: Neil Irwin
Physical trainer: Eoin Cunniffe
Physio: Cameron Steele
Video technician: Ross Willis

 
FIH Men’s World Cup 2023 – European qualifier (Cardiff, October 21-24, 2021)
Thursday, October 21: Ireland v Russia, 4pm
Saturday, October 23: semi-final
Sunday, October 24: final/classification matches

Hunter scores unbeaten century on 16th birthday in Ireland win

16-year-old Ireland star Amy Hunter became the youngest-ever centurion at international level in an eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the final One Day International of a four-game series on Monday.

Hunter scored an unbeaten 121 in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare to become the youngest player, male or female, to score a one-day international century on her 16th birthday.

She did so on the day captain Laura Delany and wicketkeeper Mary Waldron played in their respective 150th international match for Ireland across all formats.

The youngest male batter was Shahid Afridi who scored 102 against Sri Lanka aged 16 and 217 days.

The youngest woman previous to Hunter was Mithali Raj with 114 not out against Ireland aged 16 and 205 days.

The score of 121 came from 127 balls and included eight fours as Ireland powered to a 3-1 series win on Monday.

The youngster’s century helped to propel Ireland to 312/3 at the end of their 50 overs – their highest-ever ODI team score.

Gaby Lewis hit her third half-century of the series to complement Hunter’s 121 and put Ireland in their strongest-ever position.

Lewis had opened for 40 with Leah Paul before Hunter came in alongside her – Hunter and Lewis scored 104 between themselves.

Delany came on in place of Lewis and Hunter and her improved upon the previous partnership with their 142-run third-wicket, which came off just 115 balls.

Zimbabwe could not chase it down and never looked like doing so regardless of the efforts of Ashley Ndiraya and Josephine Nkomo, who posted a 96-run partnership.

The Zimbabweans gave up their first wicket in the second over after only two runs asthe form of Irish bowlers impressed.

Jane Maguire (1-24), Cara Murray (1-33) and Celeste Raack (1-24) made key breakthroughs, while Delany (2-32) and Sophie MacMahon (2-44) ensured the Zimbabwe batters found it hard to score freely.

The hosts ended their time at-bat on 227-8 as Ireland cruised to an 85-run win over them, taking the series with them.

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