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Ireland End Zimbabwe T20I Series As 3-2 Winners

Ireland have ended their series with Zimbabwe as 3-2 winners after the visitors won the final T20I test by five runs at Bready Cricket Club in Derry.

Zimbabwe took the fifth and final test in the final game of a series that was already decided to soften the blow of the setback.

Craig Ervine scored 67 for his side, achieving his third T20I half-century in an unbeaten fashion, to help Zimbabwe to their second triumph of the T20 games against Ireland.

However, the side started slowly with three batters being dismissed for single-digit scores – Mark Adair had another fruitful opener, taking two of the other and keeping Zimbabwe’s first batter, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, scoreless.

Ervine and Wesley Madhevere steadied things for the Zimbabweans after their 3/2 start and got 31 runs between them before the latter fell to Josh Little.

Ervine stepped up to the plate and achieved his unbeaten 67 with the support of Dion Myers and Milton Shumba, who added 40 between them to propel their side to 124/4 at the end of their 20 overs.

Myers became Adair’s third and final wicket of the day after scoring 26 runs in 23 balls.

Ireland failed to get going in the first six overs with Kevin O’Brien, captain Andy Balbirnie, Player of the Series Paul Stirling and Harry Tector all walking inside six overs.

Despite his early exit, Stirling finished the game as Ireland’s second-highest scorer with 19 runs from 13 balls.

The man ahead of him on the scoring charts, Neil Rock, got Ireland 22 runs off 21 balls but the side allowed too many wickets.

Luke Jongwe and Donald Tiripano picked up three wickets each as they bowled Ireland out for 119 in 20 overs.

The two sides will face each other three more times this month in the form of One Day Internationals beginning on Wednesday, September 8.

However, the next T20I action for Ireland will be at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in October – their first fixture is a match against the Netherlands on October 18.

Republic of Ireland Left Frustrated In Front Of Fans

The Republic of Ireland failed to assert their dominance on a resilient Azerbaijan defence in a frustrating draw at the Aviva Stadium in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The Republic of Ireland had the lion’s share of possession throughout the game but a 25-yard strike from Azerbaijani midfielder Emin Makhmudov forced Stephen Kenny’s side to chase the game in the second half.

The ever-reliable Shane Duffy headed home with three minutes to spare in normal time to share the spoils with the visitors but Ireland failed to deliver on the promise they showed on Wednesday against Portugal.

Duffy and co. started out as the better side, applying pressure on a three-man defence that appeared as if holes could be exposed in it.

However, as the half went on, Ireland’s history under Stephen Kenny of being wasteful in front of goal had another chapter added to it as the side failed to take the lead despite having several strong chances to do so.

Ireland’s 3-4-3 formation failed to impact their play positively with a midfield who struggled to keep possession and an overreliance on creativity down the right flank.

Azerbaijan got to grips with the game and started pushing back and applying pressure on the hosts’ back five.

Ireland weathered much of the storm but not without some alarming amounts of space being afforded to the opponents on the ball at times.

The half looked to be ending without a goal before Makhmudov rifled the ball past Gavin Bazunu, shocking the Aviva and putting Giovanni De Biasi’s side ahead.

De Biasi’s defensive tactics shone in the second half as the Republic of Ireland were frustrated time and time again.

The game followed the trend Azerbaijan have showcased in recent history of allowing at least twice as many shots against themselves as they took.

However, the Azerbaijani defence, namely a narrow back three and goalkeeper Sahruddin Mehemmedeliyev, held firm.

Wycombe Wanderers striker Daryl Horgan came on in place of Aaron Connolly and injected some much-needed urgency into the side.

Troy Parrott was taken off 17 minutes into the second half with Jayson Molumby on in his place.

Parrott struggled throughout the game after being placed in a deeper role than usual – it was not uncommon to see Idah centrally and Parrott behind him with no presence on the right-hand side in the final third.

Ireland got their goal with minutes to spare courtesy of Shane Duffy, who became the side’s joint top-scorer under Stephen Kenny with his equaliser – Duffy and Parrott have both scored two since Kenny’s first game in charge.

The team pushed for a winner but could not find it and come out of their first half of World Cup Qualifier fixtures with just a point to show for it.

The Republic of Ireland host Serbia on Tuesday, September 7 in the first of their reverse fixtures against their Group A opponents.

Serbia smacked Luxembourg 4-1 in the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade and have given Ireland a mountain to climb to get out of the group – although it does not seem like Stephen Kenny’s side have a chance.

Katie Taylor v Jennifer Han – Preview, Profiles, Odds, Where To Watch

Katie Taylor steps into the ring on Saturday night to defend her lightweight belts against mandatory challenger and former International Boxing Federation (IBF) World featherweight champion Jennifer Han.

On top of all her belts, the unanimous lightweight champion is putting her unbeaten 18-0 record on the line once more.

Katie holds the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organisation (WBO) and IBF lightweight belts as well as the Ring Magazine belt in her weight class.

The Bray native last fought on May 1 when she beat former Olympic opponent Natasha Jones in a unanimous decision victory.

The 35-year-old boxer has held all belts for the last two years after her majority decision win over Belgian Delfine Persoon in Madison Square Garden.

It is Taylor’s fourth title defence since unifying the division in June of 2019 and she comes up against the American.

Han is currently on an eight-fight win streak and will look to add to that with the biggest scalp in the lightweight division.

The veteran has not lost a fight in the last seven years and moved up to lightweight last year to fight Jeri Sitzes.

However, the 38-year-old Texan from El Paso, who is ranked as the eleventh-best lightweight in the world on BoxRec, has not fought in 19 months and may have some ring rust on Saturday night.

The veteran relinquished her featherweight title in June 2020 and will fight for the lightweight belts in her first fight since her decision to move up.

Taylor and Han are fighting at the Emerald Headingley Stadium in Leeds, England – the city is home to Leeds United, the football team Katie Taylor supports.

Profiles

           Katie Taylor   Jennifer Han

Age:            35                 38

Height:      5’5″                5’6″

Weight:  134lbs 12oz    134lbs 4oz

Stance:   Orthodox       Orthodox

Record:     18-0           18-3-1 3 NCs

KOs:           6                    3

UDs:           9                   17

Rounds:     144                166

Rank:          1                   11

Odds

Katie Taylor 1/50

Draw 33/1

Jennifer Han 18/1

Where To Watch

The fight is the co-main event on the Lara v Warrington 2 card and the card will be shown on DAZN from the Bridges – Gangloff fight at 7 pm. Taylor and Han are expected to fight at 9 pm.

Republic of Ireland v Azerbaijan – Preview, Lineups, Odds, TV Coverage

The Republic of Ireland return home after their heartbreak in Faro and host Azerbaijan in their fourth fixture of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in front of home fans at the Aviva Stadium.

The Group A showdown means one of the sides will finally get points on the board after both teams suffered losses to Portugal, Serbia and Luxembourg.

Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland side came close in their last match against Portugal after two disappointing opening games against Serbia and Luxembourg but it was not to be.

Our match report detailed an Ireland that had cohesion in defence and offered threats up top via the vision of their midfield.

More of the same will be expected against an Azerbaijan side who have given up at least twice as many shots as they have taken in each of their three other qualifying games.

They will hope to get their second win under the former Dundalk and Ireland U21 boss against the side ranked 112th in the world.

Ireland have announced their team for today’s game, which sees Ronan Curtis, Alan Browne and Callum Robinson all make a return to the matchday 23.

Ireland’s full-backs will once again be crucial to their performance – the duo of Seamus Coleman and Matt Doherty will retain their spots after the Portugal match.

Norwich City’s Andrew Omibamidele made his debut for the national side after he came on in Dara O’Shea’s place after the latter centre-half was forced off through injury.

Omibamidele impressed and will appear again on the bench for the Republic of Ireland as the formation shifts from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2.

Giovanni De Biasi’s side tends to set up defensively but do deploy wing-backs and can offer a threat in the final third if given the chance.

Lineups

Republic of Ireland (4-4-2): Bazunu; Coleman, Duffy, Egan, Doherty; Connolly, Cullen, Molumby, McClean; Idah, Parrott.

Subs: Kelleher, Talbot, Manning, Hourihane, Robinson, Hendrick, Browne, Horgan, McGrath, Collins, Curtis, Omibamidele.

Azerbaijan (4-3-3): Mahammadaliyev; Medvedev (C), Haghverdi, Camalov, Kryvotsiuk; Mahmudov, Qarayev, Bayramov; Alasgarov, Emreli, Ozobic.

Subs: Salahli, Mustafayev, Ahmadzada, Seydayev, Cannatov, Huseynov, Mustafazada, Nuriyev, Khalilzada, Ibrahimli, Sadykhov, Bayramov.

Odds

Republic of Ireland 1/2

Draw 11/4

Azerbaijan 6/1

TV Coverage 

Kick-off for the match is at 5:00 pm with RTÉ 2 broadcasting the game – their coverage begins at 4 pm.

All Blacks name team for Australia test

The All-Blacks team has been named to play Australia in the Fortinet Rugby Championship Test at Optus Stadium, Perth, on Sunday 5th September

There is just the one change from the starting forward pack from the Bledisloe Cup-winning Test in Auckland last month, with lock Scott Barrett coming in for Samuel Whitelock in the second row.

Patrick Tuipulotu has a tight groin that sees Tupou Vaa’i come onto the bench for his first Test of 2021. Ethan Blackadder also comes onto the bench as a loose forward cover. Ardie Savea will captain the All Blacks for the first time at number eight.

In the backs, Brad Weber gets his second start at halfback in his 11th Test, with TJ Perenara to provide impact off the bench.

Beauden Barrett is at first five-eighth while Anton Lienert-Brown returns from injury at center, outside David Havili. Rieko Ioane moves to the left-wing, Will Jordan is on the right-wing and Jordie Barrett is at fullback. Damian McKenzie and George Bridge are the other back reserves.

All Blacks Head Coach Ian Foster said: “We are ready, and the team is really determined to finish off this block of Tests against Australia with a top performance.

“We’ve had a really unique situation going into this Test, with quarantine back in New Zealand and a ‘soft’ quarantine here in Perth, but the work that has gone in preparing the players has been outstanding, so when the whistle goes on Sunday, we’ll be ready.”

The All Blacks and Australia will be playing their 173rd Test against each other. New Zealand has won 119 of those matches, Australia 45 with eight draws. The All Blacks have held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003.

The All Blacks have scored 46 tries in five matches so far this year and are sharing the spoils: so far 18 players have scored tries this year.

Foster said the team was excited to be playing in front of a sell-out crowd in Perth this weekend.

“Perth has a great rugby culture, and we know that there are a lot of Kiwis living here who will be at the game, so can’t wait to hear their support on Sunday.

“Covid has again forced so many changes this year and we especially think of cities like Dunedin and Wellington that have lost Test matches they had hoped and planned for, so it’s great to be able to celebrate having this Test match here in Perth,” he said.

The matchday 23 is (Test caps in brackets):

1. George Bower (5)
2. Codie Taylor (60)
3. Nepo Laulala (33)
4. Brodie Retallick (85)
5. Scott Barrett (43)
6. Akira Ioane (6)
7. Dalton Papalii (7)
8. Ardie Savea – captain (52)
9. Brad Weber (10)
10. Beauden Barrett (93)
11. Rieko Ioane (39)
12. David Havili (7)
13. Anton Lienert-Brown (51)
14. Will Jordan (6)
15. Jordie Barrett (27)
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho (3)
17. Karl Tu’inukuafe (20)
18. Angus Ta’avao (18)
19. Tupou Vaa’i (4)
20. Ethan Blackadder (2)
21. TJ Perenara (70)
22. Damian McKenzie (32)
23. George Bridge (12)

All Blacks matches – Fortinet Rugby Championship – Round 1-6

All Blacks (57) v Australia (22), Saturday 14th August Eden Park, Auckland

Australia vs All Blacks – Optus Stadium, Perth – Sunday 5th September

All Blacks vs Argentina – CBUS Stadium, Gold Coast – Sunday 12th September

Argentina vs All Blacks – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane – Saturday 18th September

All Blacks vs South Africa – Queensland Stadium,Townsville – Saturday 25th September

South Africa vs All Blacks – CBUS Stadium, Gold Coast – Saturday 2nd October

Shamrock Rovers Looking To Bounce Back Against Finn Harps

Shamrock Rovers are looking to bounce back from their FAI Cup exit with a win against Ballybofey’s Finn Harps on Friday night.

The defending SSE Airtricity League Champions were knocked out by Bohemians in the second round of the FAI Cup on Sunday.

The two sides were reduced to 10 men each after a scuffle between Bohs forward Georgie Kelly and Rovers captain Ronan Finn led to both players receiving their marching orders – Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley does not agree with Finn’s dismissal but says his side “have to accept it.”

Bradley reflected on the game and noted that he felt that it was a match of poor quality throughout.

“I thought it was a poor game in general,” the Rovers boss said. “It looked like we had come off the back of a hectic schedule.”
“In terms of our performance, we were nowhere near what our levels can be so we know we can perform better.”
Their opponents, Bohemians, sunk last year’s FAI Cup finalists with two fantastic goals proving to be too much for Rovers to handle.
Ali Coote scored a stunning free-kick from distance to put his side ahead that was momentarily cancelled out by Roberto Lopes in the 78th minute before Andy Lyons’ solo effort sealed the win for Bohs four minutes from time.
The side now set their eyes on Finn Harps as they are welcomed to Finn Park by the hosts for the second time this season.
The last visit to Donegal saw Bradley’s men leave with one clean sheet, two goals and three points and the 36-year-old will be looking for more of the same on Friday night.
Sean Hoare, Lee Grace, Sean Kavanagh and Neil Farrugia are all still unavailable for the Hoops and two unnamed players were looked at on Friday morning ahead of the game after suffering knocks.
Bradley was complimentary of Ollie Horgan’s Harps’ recent form after they beat St Patrick’s Athletic.
“I think Finn Harps are playing really well. I watched them against St Pat’s and they won the game quite comfortably and they were good against Derry as well.
“It’s a tough game but we’re looking forward to it. We’ve had a nice break after the game on Sunday which we needed to re-focus and get ready.”

Ireland U17 squad named for upcoming friendlies

Ireland Under-17 Head Coach Colin O’Brien has named a 20-man squad for two friendlies against Mexico in Turner’s Cross, Cork

A limited number of fans will have the chance to catch a glimpse of the next generation of Irish internationals with 600 free tickets made available for spectators.

It will be the final preparation for the U17s ahead of their UEFA Under-17 European Championship qualifiers which also take place in Cork in October.

O’Brien’s youngsters face North Macedonia, Poland, and Andorra in the first round of qualifiers but before that, they take on North American opposition.

Speaking ahead of the games, O’Brien said: “To get this level of opposition is a real huge plus for us.

“Mexico is a real powerhouse at this age group if you research and examine their age groups in the past couple of years they’re a World Cup standard team and that will the standard over the two games we will be playing.

“It’s a very ‘home-based squad’ and it’s the first squad we’re going to see around the Brexit situation but the players are well into their season and we’ve done a lot of home-based assessments and training camps over the last few months and a lot of games watched.

“We’ve 20 players ready to represent the Republic of Ireland Under-17s against high-level opposition so the players are going to be really tested here, both collectively and individually, and it will give them a good measure to where they’re at.”

 

Republic of Ireland Under-17 squad

Goalkeepers: Fintan Doherty (Derry City), Conor Walsh (Sligo Rovers)

Defenders: Luke Browne (Shelbourne), Sam Curtis (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Cathal Heffernan (Cork City), Ruadhan Kane (Klub Kildare), Daniel Kelly (Sligo Rovers), Luke O’Brien (St. Patrick’s Athletic)

Midfielders: Justin Ferizaj (Shamrock Rovers), Gavin Hodgins (Shelbourne), Darius Lipsivc (St. Patrick’s Athletic), James McManus (Bohemians), Rocco Vata (Celtic)

Forwards: Trent Kone Doherty (Derry City), Mark O’Mahony (Cork City), Caden McLoughlin (Villareal), Liam Murray (Cork City), Alex Nolan (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Franco Umeh (Cork City), Kevin Zefi (Inter Milan)

Fixtures – International Friendlies 

Sunday, 5th September

Republic of Ireland U17 v Mexico U17, Turner’s Cross, Cork, KO: 19:00

Tuesday, September 7

Republic of Ireland U17 v Mexico U17, Turner’s Cross, Cork KO: 12:00

Ireland U21 squad announced for European qualifiers

Republic of Ireland Under-21s kick-off their UEFA European Under-21 Championship campaign in Bosnia & Herzegovina tomorrow

The match will take place in FF BH Football Training Centre, Zenica with Kristoffer Hagenes as referee.

Ireland will be looking to get off to a positive start at the FF BH Football Training Centre in Zenica with the game kicking off at 15.30, Irish time.

U21s Manager Jim Crawford said: “Bosnia are well organized with really good individuals but they’re physical.

“We’ve seen them in numerous games and in some games they’ve pushed on and pressed and other games they’ve dropped off so it will be interesting to see what they do. It will be a great challenge but one the players are up for.”

They are joined in Group F by Luxembourg, who they face on Tuesday, September 7, Italy, Sweden, and Montenegro.

Derry City’s Ronan Boyce was called up to the Under-21s to replace Cardiff City’s, Mark McGuinness.

Conor Coventry said: “We’ve got another really good Under-21s team here and we sat down and it is absolutely clear that we want to get to the European Championship Finals.

“We’re capable and when you see the quality in the squad it goes to show that the future is in good hands.”

Republic of Ireland Under-21 Squad

Goalkeepers: Sam Blair (Bury Town, on loan from Norwich City), Brian Maher (Bray Wanderers), Daniel Rose (Schalke 04).

Defenders: Ronan Boyce (Derry City), Joel Bagan (Cardiff City), Andy Lyons (Bohemians), Anselmo Garcia MacNulty (Wolfsburg), Oisin McEntee (Newcastle United), Jake O’Brien (Crystal Palace), Lee O’Connor (Celtic).

Midfielders: Conor Coventry (West Ham United), Dawson Devoy (Bohemians), Ryan Johansson (Fortuna Sittard, on loan from Sevilla), Gavin Kilkenny (Bournemouth), Andrew Moran (Brighton and Hove Albion), Conor Noss (Borussia Möchengladbach), Ross Tierney (Bohemians), Louie Watson (Derby County).

Forwards: Evan Ferguson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Will Ferry (Crawley Town, on loan from Southampton), Joshua ‘JJ’ Kayode (Rotherham United), Ollie O’Neill (Fulham), Colm Whelan (UCD), Tyreik Wright (Salford City, on loan from Aston Villa).

 

Fixtures

Friday, 3rd September

Bosnia & Herzegovina U21 v Republic of Ireland U21, FF BH Football Training Centre, Zenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina, KO: 15:30

Tuesday, 7th September

Luxembourg U21 v Republic of Ireland U21, Stade Jos Nosbaum, Dudelange, Luxembourg, KO: 15:00

Wexford Appoint Former Tipp Coach Egan As Senior Hurling Manager

Wexford GAA have appointed former Tipperary coach Darragh Egan as their new senior hurling manager.

The 35-year-old will replace Davy Fitzgerald in the role after the former Clare hurler left the job in July.

The appointment is on a two-year basis, with an option of a further year included.

Egan was a selector in Liam Sheedy’s backroom staff and was part of the coaching setup that won the All-Ireland with the Premier County in 2019.

The 35-year-old has also coached the Tipperary under-16 hurlers, a job he held previous to his role as selector.

Egan stepped away from his role with Tipperary when Liam Sheedy brought an end to his second tenure in charge of the 28-time All-Ireland champions.

The new Wexford coach has also won two All-Ireland titles as a player on the Tipperary and brings the 11 years of experience he has as a player to the Model County.

Egan’s role with his club Kildangan GAA has seen the side rise from the junior championship to become the county’s senior champions last year.

Wexford GAA Chairperson, Michaél Martin, in welcoming Darragh to the Wexford GAA fold, said:

“Our strategic plan, “Ar Aghaidh Linn le Chéile”, is the most ambitious plan ever launched in the history of Wexford GAA with clear and specific goals for on and off the pitch. We are conscious that the performance of our senior hurling team is a key element in the social wellbeing of our county.

Darragh Egan is a sharp, enthusiastic and energetic leader who understands performance at an elite level. He is process-driven and has a hunger for success. He has experience of leading in a high-performance environment and I have no doubt that he will bring a wealth of knowledge to Wexford hurling as we aim to take the next step on the journey to success.”

Top 5 Common Online Sports Betting Mistakes: And How to Avoid Them

Sports betting makes watching sporting events a lot more exciting, especially if you’re winning. There is something about taking a risk that makes the rewards so much sweeter, and punters have been chasing that sweetness since time immemorial. The trouble, of course, is losing. Losing is inevitable – it’s the nature of the game – but some losses can be avoided. You may not realise it, but there are several common betting mistakes that make your chances of losing much greater than they would normally be. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the top five betting mistakes that you should avoid if you want to walk away with a win in your pocket.

Failing to Claim a Good Bonus

If you’re familiar with the world of online casinos, you’ll know that most sites offer players the chance to claim a casino bonus. Unfortunately, many of those sites only offer a bonus to casino game players and not to sports bettors. The mistake many punters make is to fail to shop around for an online casino that offers a sportsbook bonus. There are actually quite a few excellent sportsbooks out there that offer very generous bonuses to their punters. A good bonus can give you the head start that you need to begin building your bankroll. And if you’re a beginner, you can use your bonus to learn the ropes without having to pay for your mistakes.

Betting While Under the Influence

Who doesn’t like to enjoy a game of football with a beer in hand and a few backups chilling in the ice box? We get it, we know it’s part of the game. But if you’re placing bets, you need to be extremely clear headed in order to make informed choices. So, here’s the deal: don’t crack open your first bottle of beer until all your bets are placed. And make sure that before you take your first sip you have closed your sportsbook app and hidden it away so that you are not tempted to make any live bets while the game is on. Betting under the influence is a sure-fire way to blow your bankroll. 

Betting With Your Heart Not Your Head

Everyone wants their hometown team to win, right? It’s in our nature to support our team and want to show that support by betting on our team to win. But let’s get real. Some of us live in towns that just don’t produce the best football or hockey teams (or tennis players or golfers). And some of us live in towns that have fantastic teams, but those teams don’t always have a great season. Whatever the situation may be, our advice is to avoid betting on your home team because it’s almost impossible to be realistic about their chances of winning. Betting with your heart is a mistake, but it is easily avoided if you make it a point to never bet on sporting events that are too close to home. 

Too Many Bets

You will hear many experienced punters talking about the fact that successful sports betting usually comes down to making a lot of small bets over a long period of time. And while it certainly pays to spread your betting budget out over a number of bets rather than just chucking all your money at one event, there is a chance that you will end up making too many bets. The trick is to set a daily or weekly betting budget and stick to it like glue. Plan out your daily or weekly bets in advance so that you know exactly where your money is going, and if you win, don’t be tempted to blow it all on a betting whim.

Believing the Hype

Sport pundits like to talk the talk, but do they really walk the walk? In other words, pundits are highly likely to hype up the chances of a team or player simply to make a newsworthy headline. It is important to keep in mind that pundits are not necessarily sports bettors – they are not necessarily putting their money where their mouth is. Avoid falling for the hype by doing your own meticulous research before you place a bet.

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