Home Blog Page 316

Couple to do all 96 Olympic events during Tokyo 2020

Charlotte Nichols and Stuart Bates, who have links to Waterford and Mayo, will try out all 96 different Olympic events. They will try all of them in just 17 days during the Olympics in memory of loved one, Spencer ‘Spenney’ Bates

From weightlifting to dressage and sailing to pole vaulting, the pair will run, throw and jump their way through nearly 100 sports. They believe they are the first to attempt the impressive feat.

Charlotte is currently studying to become a doctor at the University of Bristol while Stuart has a full-time job as a window cleaner in Oxford.

Not only will the pair need to complete a triathlon, a 50km speed walk, a 10km swim (which takes the world’s best athletes two hours to complete), and a 240km road cycle, but also a full marathon.

Charlotte is a keen athlete, being a part of the Oxford-based GAA club Eire Óg. The pair have received a lot of support from the Mayo people and footballer Paddy Durcan.

This year marks 10 years since the passing of Stuart’s brother Spencer ‘Spenny’ Bates. The father of two tragically died, aged just 49, of motor neuron disease.

Charlotte and Stuart hope to raise £10,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association with their Olympic challenge, which they have dubbed the ‘Spennylympics’.

Charlotte, now finished her third year at Bristol, said:

“We’re terrified and excited at the same time. It’s been a real journey already: we’ve had to learn loads of new sports and we’ve met some amazing people along the way.

“The training has been tough, particularly fitting it around studying medicine. But there have been some incredible moments too, like sailing in Weymouth as the sun was setting.

“It has been a chance for us both to think about Spenny a lot too. When you’re feeling achy and tired and you don’t want to go out and train, having him in your mind really helps.”

Starting on July 23, Charlotte and Stuart will have 17 days to complete the 96 sports. They will visit Reading to cycle on the velodrome, Bath for some of their track and field, and Bristol to surf at the Wave, a new inland surfing venue.

They will then travel to Weymouth, Spenny’s hometown, to go sailing and windsurfing. While there, on the penultimate day of the challenge they will play a football match with Spenny’s friends and family.

The final day will be the dreaded marathon.

Spenny was well-known in Weymouth for being a drummer in several bands. He is survived by his wife Nicky and two sons, Samuel and Isaac.

About Spencer, Stuart said: “He was many things to many people, a loyal and trusted friend, a completely devoted father and husband, and just the best company you could wish for.”

Despite their busy schedules, Stuart and Charlotte have managed to recruit more than 55 former and current Olympians to be ambassadors for the challenge. The pair are also being supported by Daniel Davey, an Irish performance-based nutrition specialist who works with Leinster rugby and Dublin GAA.

Dozens more have helped by offering lessons in everything from canoeing to rhythmic gymnastics.

Stuart and Charlotte now have just a few weeks of training before they are thrown into the biggest physical challenge of their lives. And the bit they are dreading the most?

“Diving 10 metres is pretty daunting, but I’ll make it happen!” said Charlotte

Stuart added: “Staying on the horse whilst show jumping is something giving me sleepless nights!”

To help Stuart and Charlotte toward their fundraising target visit their Just Giving page here.

World Rugby To Trial New Laws Globally

World Rugby will allow new laws designed to protect tacklers and jacklers, the 50:22 kicking law and the goal-line dropout to be used globally from August 1st as part of a global trial.

If successful, these laws could be implemented worldwide and have an effect on Irish teams, including the international side.

In addition to this, some competitions, including New Zealand provincial competitions, will also feature the Red Card Replacement and Golden Point laws introduced by New Zealand Rugby during Super Rugby Aotearoa.

New Zealand’s top female players will be among the first in the world to trial the new World Rugby safety laws when the Farah Palmer Cup presented by Bunnings Warehouse kicks off this weekend. 

“These laws will be coming in at all levels of the game globally from 1 August, so we are fortunate that our FPC players will be among the first in the world to start getting used to what could quickly become the norm at all levels. The objective of a number of these laws is to make the game safer for players,” NZR Head of High Performance Mike Anthony said.

The trials will include the banning of the pods of more than two players binding together with the ball-carrier, and a crackdown on the way players remove, or clean out, the jackler.

One player will be allowed to bind with the ball-carrier prior to contact but they must stay on their feet.

“At the breakdown, attacking players who clean out the jackler by targeting their lower limbs or drop their weight onto them will be penalised with the aim of reducing the injury risk to any defending players being cleaned out,” Anthony said.  

The 50:22 law is when a kick made by the team in possessions half lands in the field of play and proceeds to go out inside the opposition 22, the team who originally kicked is rewarded with a line out.

“The intention is to create more attacking space by having the defensive team put players back to cover the backfield. With reduced numbers in the defensive line this may also reduce line speed. It will be interesting to see how teams’ approach this, particularly around defending the backfield space,” said Anthony.

Although they will not be part of World Rugby’s Global Law Trial, NZR has gained approval to use the popular Red Card replacement and will also continue to use Golden Point in all domestic competitions.

“We believe the ability to replace a red-carded player after 20 minutes is better for players and fans and maintains the contest for all involved.

“The Golden Point creates real drama when matches finish in a tie at full time, but we will only be using the law during the round-robin, not during the finals,” said Anthony. 

Daily Talk Series ‘TMC Talks’ announced for Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Tokyo Media Centre has announced some of the speakers that will be featured on TMC Talks throughout their coverage of Tokyo 2020

The TMC Talks series has invited experts in sport, culture, and politics throughout the run of the show during the Olympic season.

TMC supports media outlets around the world in their coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Governor of Tokyo Koike Yuriko will be speaking almost every day that the Olympics Games are taking place.

Some of the experts in sport and culture announced are former Olympian, Naoko Imoto, and Japanese literature scholar, Robert Campbell.

Other speakers include Kathy Matsui, Yumiko Murakami, Yoshiharu Hoshino, and Ross Rowbury.

Subscribed TMC members will be able to submit questions for the speakers to answer. In order to have access to these talks, you will need to register on the TMC registration page.

Registering also allows you to read their twice-daily newsletter, view briefings of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and speak to an online concierge who will answer any of your Tokyo-related questions on coverage and photography.

The TMC webpage has more information along with photos, videos, data regarding Tokyo.

The series will announce more speakers in the coming days.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic opening ceremony will take place on Friday, 23rd July. The Paralympic Games will begin on Tuesday, 24th of August.

To see some of the athletes announced to be going to Tokyo 2020 with Team Ireland, click here.

Gaelic Football Result: Cork U20 beat Kerry U20 in a thrilling match

Cork beat Kerry in a thrilling U20 Munster football semi-final, they will play Tipperary in the final. 

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORES ON CORK U20 v KERRY U20

  • 65′

    Cork 3-12 Kerry 3-11 result

     
  • 64′

    Cork takes the lead and Paul O\’Shea misses a sitter to level up the game.

     
  • 60′

    Only one in it, four min injury time

     
  • 52′

    Kerry goal from penalty Paul O\’Shea

     
  • 49′

    Cork goal from play Conor Corbett

     
  • 41′

    Cork point from play David Buckley

     
  • 39′

    Kerry point from free Dylan Geaney

     
  • 37′

    Cork point from play David Buckley

     
  • 33′

    Cork point from play Conor O\’Hanlon

     
  • 30′

    Half time – Cork 2-07 Kerry 2-06

     
  • 29′

    Cork goal from play Conor Corbett

     
  • 26′

    Kerry GOAL from play by Dylan Geaney leaves it Kerr 2-04 Cork 1-04, great game.

     
  • 25′

    Cork goal from play Jack Cahalane

     
  • 21′

    Kerry point from play Dylan Geaney

     
  • 19′

    Kerry goal from play Darragh Lyne

     
  • 16′

    Kerry point from free Dylan Geaney

     
  • 13′

    Cork point from free Dara Dorgan

     
  • 9′

    Cork point from play Conor Corbett

     
  • 7′

    Cork point from play David Buckley

     
  • 5′

    Kerry U20 point from play Conor Hayes

     
  • 3′

    Cork U20 point from play Colin Walsh

PREVIEW

Throw in for this match will be at 19:30 on Thursday, 15th July in Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. This match will be shown live on TG4.

We have not seen much of either side as this semifinal will be their first matches in the championship.

They last faced each other in the 2020 Munster final which Kerry ran out champions by five points. Both squads contain some of the same players that played that final in March last year and the Cork players will be looking for revenge.

The Kerry minor team has shown their class by reaching their first All-Ireland in three years after beating Roscommon well.

Cork has also been a title-winning team as they won the 2019 All-Ireland u21 final.

Kerry and Cork have grown to be big rivals as the two best teams in Munster, frequently facing each other in a final at every age level.

Betting

Cork, at home, are just about underdogs with odds to win at 6/5.

A draw in 60 minutes has odds of 15/2.

Kerry are given the edge in the bookies’ eyes with odds of 5/6 to win.

Starting teams

CORK

  1. Gavin Creedon, Kilshannig
  2. Colm O Donovan, Newcestown
  3. Diarmaid Phelan, Agahad
  4. Conor McGoldrick, Eire Óg
  5. Adam Walsh-Murphy, Valley Rovers
  6. Tommy Walsh, Kanturk
  7. Darragh Cashman, Millstreet
  8. Brian Hayes (Captain), St. Finbarrs
  9. Evan Cooke, Ballincollig
  10. Conor Corbett, Clyda Rovers
  11. Jack Cahalane, Castlehaven
  12. Niall Hartnett, Douglas
  13. Dara Dorgan, Ballincollig
  14. Colin Walsh, Kanturk
  15. David Buckley (Vice Captain), Newcestown
  16. Cian O Leary, Douglas
  17. Neil Lordan, Ballinora
  18. Darragh Holland, Argideen Rangers
  19. Luke Horgan, Nemo Rangers
  20. Ciaran O Sullivan, Kilshannig
  21. Eoghan Nash, Douglas
  22. Sean O Sullivan, Adrigole
  23. Conor O Hanlon, Buttevant
  24. Sean McDonnell, Mallow
Kerry

Score Prediction

Kerry come into this match as slight favourites to win. The winner of this match will also be expected to go on and win the Munster Championship.

This game will be tight and physical, but Kerry will come out on top, their creative forwards will make the difference. This could be Kerry’s most successful year with great teams at minor, senior, and now under 20s.

Expect the Kingdom to win by around three points to make it to the final.

U20 Football Leinster Result : Dublin beat resilient Meath

Dublin beat a very resilient Meath team in the Leinster U20 Football semi-final, they will play Offaly in the final.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH DUBLIN U20 v MEATH U20 LIVE

  • 65′

    Full time Dublin 4-07 Meath 0-13

     
  • 62′

    Goal!! Adam Fearon finishes to the net after his effort comes off the crossbar!

     
  • 58′

    Dublin point from free Mark Lavin, they go 4pts up

     
  • 53′

    Only 3pts in it

     
  • 50′

    At the second half water break, a resurgent Meath are right back in this game. A massive final quarter is in store here in a sweltering Páirc Tailteann.

     
  • 50′

    Meath point from 45 Jack Flynn, they trail by 5pts

     
  • 48′

    Meath point from free Luke Mitchell

     
  • 39′

    Meath point from free Luke Mitchell

     
  • 38′

    Dublin goal from play Lorcan O\’Dell

     
  • 37′

    Dublin goal from play Mark Lavin

     
  • 35′

    Meath point from 45/65 Jack Flynn

     
  • 30′

    Dublin 1-05 Meath 0-02

     
  • 25′

    25min played and Dublin lead Meath by 6pts – 1-4 to 0-1

     
  • 14′

    Dublin point from play Mark Lavin

     
  • 11′

    Luke Murphy-Guinane with the point puts five up

     
  • 9′

    Dublin goal from play Luke Swan

     
  • 4′

    Fionn Murray doubles the lead

     
  • 2′

    Mark Lavin opens the scoring

    Preview

This Gaelic football game will throw in at 19:30 on Thursday, 15th July in Pairc Tailteann in Meath.

Meath had a tough start to the year with their manager leaving due to a row over senior players in June. This will be their first competitive game of the year as the luck of the draw got them to the semifinals.

Corner forward David Bell has been knocking on the door for the senior team and this could be his chance to be seen.

Dublin overpowered Wicklow in the quarter-finals by only four points to make it this far. The reigning Leinster champions were given a fright, but their class shone through.

As free-taker Fionn Murray has a big part to play in this game, he managed six points with four from play in their last match.

Starting 15

Meath

Dublin

 

Betting

Meath 15/8

Draw 15/2

Dublin 8/15

 

Score Prediction

With problems following them, it is hard to see Meath being fully ready for this match. Dublin has the games under their belt and that will make the difference in this game on Thursday.

Expect Dublin to leave as winners with at least a four-point lead.

 

Terry Hyland Leaves Leitrim After Three Years

Terry Hyland has left his role as Leitrim GAA senior football manager after Sunday’s 24-point defeat to Mayo in the Connacht Senior Football Championship semi-final, the county board has announced.

The Cavan native spent three years in the job and brought Leitrim to Croke Park for the first time since 2006 in his first year.

He got the side promoted to Division Three of the National Football League in the process but his side only managed to win once in Championship football – never winning a provincial tie.

His side looked worlds apart against the reigning Connacht champions and All-Ireland finalists on Sunday.

In a statement, the county board expressed their gratitude to Terry and his backroom staff for their three years in charge of the side.

“Leitrim GAA has been informed by Senior Team Manager Terry Hyland that he has decided to step down from the role,” the statement read.

“We wish to express our eternal gratitude to Terry and his entire backroom team, for the professional, wholehearted, and energetic manner in which they have carried out their respective duties to the team and all associated with it over the past three seasons.

“In his first year in charge, Terry oversaw the Allianz League promotion to Division 3 in 2019 and a rare appearance in a Croke Park Final which gave Leitrim GAA, its players, and supporters the biggest lift since the days of 1994.

“Over what has been the most difficult sixteen months in living memory since the onset of the Covid pandemic, Terry and his management team managed to navigate our players through difficult times for all concerned, while always respecting and abiding by the various levels of restrictions that we have experienced across these unprecedented times. Progress was inevitably affected by the huge disruptions that this caused to all involved.

“Leitrim GAA is hugely appreciative and proud of its association with Terry and his professional and practical manner of dealing with both the board and its players over his three seasons in charge. We appreciate his many sacrifices on our behalf.

“Indeed his contribution to the activities of Leitrim GAA went way beyond those expected from a Senior Team Manager, particularly during the course of the pandemic. We will be always grateful for his very positive efforts with us and the wealth of experience he brought to the role of Leitrim Senior Team Manager. We wish Terry the very best of luck in the future.

“We wish to also acknowledge the excellent contributions of Jason O Reilly, Gary Donohoe, Padraig McGourty, Kevin Downes, Padraig Dolan, Damien Eames, Colin McCabe, Shane Bohan, Fergal Wynne, Alan Loftus, and Ronan O Rourke as the various members of Terry’s backroom team over the past three years, while not forgetting the unsung heroes Leo Duignan, Kevin Lee and Brian Blake.”

Hyland is the fourth managerial casualty of the year in inter-county Gaelic football, with Padriac Davis, Mike Quirke and Paddy Tally all vacating their posts previously.

Irish Sevens Star Greg O’Shea Eyes Olympic Success

Ireland Rugby Men’s Sevens star Greg O’Shea is excited to be going to the Olympics as part of Ireland’s first Olympic Sevens team – the Irish Men’s Sevens side.

Ireland qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo last month when they won the Monaco Repechagé to obtain the final qualifying spot.

He spoke of the squad’s excitement at the fact that they are headed to the Olympics.

“We are just really happy like. We are just so delighted that it’s all paid off, ” O’Shea said.

Tokyo has become a recent aim for the side after spending two year’s of their time and energy preparing for the Repechagé.

The side trained the whole way through the pandemic together, other than the beginning of the pandemic, as previously stated by captain Billy Dardis.

The hard work over the last two years towards the goal of becoming Olympians has made the last few weeks all the more poignant for O’Shea.

 “It’s been an emotional rollercoaster,” the 26-year-old said.

“I wasn’t picked for Monaco, which is fair enough – I hadn’t really been training and I wasn’t at peak performance.

“Then, a couple of injuries happened, I got in and then I started most of the games and played most of the minutes in Monaco and then I got picked for Tokyo.

“It’s just been a whirlwind of emotion but I just got to stay grounded and do my bit for the team and hopefully play a lot in Tokyo.”

The former Crescent College student has been part of the IRFU Sevens programme since 2017 and has built a relationship with the core of the squad in his four years there.

His eyes have always been firmly set on rugby, regardless of the exposure his Love Island win in 2019 brought him.

The 26-year-old chose rugby over numerous ventures he could have taken up after the win on ITV’s famous show and to have the prospect of being an Olympian within reach is something that validates his choice.

The Limerick native said: “It’s the pinnacle of sport. Personally, it’s what I’ve been working towards the last couple of years. I said no to a lot of other opportunities outside of rugby and it’s would make it all worth it once I cross that whitewash.”

It was not a difficult choice for him as his relationship with the Irish Sevens squad was strong and he knew they could continue to expand their potential.

The Irish fly-half is confident that his side can perform on the world stage in a group filled with quality opponents.

Anthony Eddy’s Olympians will face South Africa, the USA and Kenya in the pool stage of the Olympic tournament and have won in the past against them.

O’Shea believes the side can go far if they’re focused and possibly win a medal.

“It would just make the last 6 years all worth it…we want to be among the best in the world as well and I think we can do it.”

Shamrock Rovers ready for important game against Derry

Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley travels to Derry on Friday with confidence after beating Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday. Although they won the match, they were knocked out of the Champions League qualifying 3-2 on aggregate

“That has to be our aim if we want to create more nights like we did on Tuesday and make that a regular thing. We’ve got to make sure we get ourselves back there next year and obviously, that means going and taking care of games domestically.”

League leaders Rovers travel to the Brandywell to face 6th place Derry City in an important league tie.

With eight games left in the season Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers, and St. Patrick’s Athletic are all tied on 38 points.

Manager Stephen Bradley believes his team’s spirits are still high after a tough defeat on aggregate to the Slovakian champions in the Champions League qualifying on Tuesday.

To see the match report from that big Champions League game, click here.

“You’re playing against a top team, and we knew that we had to be right on our game to turn it around. The players were excellent and each and every one of them performed and stood up to it,” Bradley said.

“Like I said on the night I felt the players’ performance deserved more. They deserved to go through, but it wasn’t to be. But we’ll learn from it and move on.”

The manager expects the squad to bounce back even stronger in tomorrow’s game and to bring home three valuable points.

History is in their favour having won on each of their last five visits to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

The team will be missing a few players with Sean Hoare and Chris McCann suspended. Midfielder Neil Farrugia is also still out with a hamstring injury.

Derry come into the match with a mixed run of form. They only stand nine points ahead of the relegation qualification places and they hope Dundalk will not overtake them with a game in hand.

Derry are also missing forward Marc Walsh through a hamstring injury.

The match kicks off tomorrow, 16th July at 19:45 in Derry.

“Derry is going to be a really difficult game, we know that, but this group is hungry for more nights like Tuesday night and that starts with Derry on Friday, going up there and getting three points,” added Bradley.

Ireland Cricket: Captain Balbirnie eyes an historic series win

Captain Andrew Balbirnie looks ahead to the possibility of a historic series win as they face South Africa tomorrow is their final test

Until Tuesday this week, Ireland Men had never beaten South Africa in One Day International cricket, having played five times before. Ireland had also never beaten a world-ranked top-eight side in an ODI at home since 2006.

Captain Andrew Balbirnie revealed after Tuesday’s match that his move to opener was a decision that was made on the morning of the game after William Porterfield was ruled out with a finger injury.

Despite that last-minute reshuffle of the batting order, Balbirnie was delighted with the team’s performance all-round. He also indicated that the team was determined to continue that form into the final ODI on Friday.

“It was a credit to them and a win we needed as a team and I’m just really proud of the lads. We’ll enjoy this, it’s our first time ever beating them in ODI cricket so it’s a huge day for cricket in Ireland,” Balbirnie said after the game.

“At the same time you have to look at Friday, we could potentially win a series … I think the guys are eager and hungry to win a series.”

Ireland has claimed a valuable 15 World Cup Super League points from the first two games of the series. The side has now jumped from 11th to 5th place in the table as it stands.

If you would like to watch Ireland’s next match against South Africa, BT Sports will be televising the game, starting at 10:30.

FIXTURES

The series schedule is:

World Cup Super League ODI series

11th July: Ireland v South Africa, 1st ODI (Malahide)
13th July: Ireland v South Africa, 2nd ODI (Malahide)
16th July: Ireland v South Africa, 3rd ODI (Malahide)

T20I series

19th July: Ireland v South Africa, 1st T20I (Malahide)
22nd  July: Ireland v South Africa, 2nd T20I (Stormont)
24th July: Ireland v South Africa, 3rd T20I (Stormont)

 

IRELAND MEN’S SQUADS

ODI squad

Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Graham Kennedy, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Graeme McCarter, Barry McCarthy, William Porterfield, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.

T20I squad

Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Shane Getkate, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, William McClintock, Kevin O’Brien, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.

CrossFit announces Ireland’s fittest man and woman

CrossFit has today announced Sam Stewart and Emma McQuaid as 2021s fittest man and woman in Ireland.

The sports fitness brand has been running its annual competition that involves 264,000 athletes across over 150 countries.

The NoBull CrossFit Games season started in February and a national ranking system decided the winners at the end.

Stewart and McQuaid finished as the leaders of all athletes in Ireland, claiming the titles. Both are very high-quality performers in Ireland as two of Ireland’s fittest people. McQuaid has also competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Ollie Mansbridge, CrossFit Country Manager for UK & Ireland, said:
“For athletes around the world, the CrossFit Games season represents the ultimate test of fitness, as they go head-to-head against hundreds of thousands of top competitors across 150+ countries.”

Crossfit has been running this competition since 2007. It began in California and has since grown into a multi-country sport, naming national champions since 2015.
Unlike traditional specialist sports like track or weightlifting, CrossFit does not program the same traditional events that reward a limited set of skills in each competition.
Instead, athletes from around the world are tested against a variety of unannounced events.
Competitors must train for the unknown. The scores of events have included distance swims to obstacle courses, handstand walks, rope climbs, and odd-object carries.
This year the events took place virtually from local gyms and homes.
At the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games,  40 men and 40 women will compete in Madison, Wisconsin from 27th July – 1st August for the titles of Fittest Man and Woman on Earth.
“Thanks to their extraordinary performances in the 2021 CrossFit Games season, Stewart and McQuaid have proven themselves to be the Fittest Man and Woman in Ireland, and they can proudly wear the crowns of CrossFit Ireland Champions for 2021,” added Mansbridge.
1...315316317...573Page 316 of 573

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

SportsNewsIreland is an Irish website launched in 2009 to offer sports fans in Ireland an alternative and independent source to keep them up to date with all the news from around the country. Every week we bring you live score updates from all levels of GAA, rugby, soccer, racing and athletics. Contact

Contact us: Email: info@sportsnewsireland.com

FOLLOW US

Design by SportsMediaIreland.ie