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Hurling – Kilkenny v Galway – Starting News, Live Scores, Betting; TV Coverage

Leinster U20 Hurling Championship semi-final – Kilkenny v Galway – 7:30 pm – TG4

Kilkenny will go head-to-head against Galway in Tullamore at Bord na Mona, O’Connor Park on Tuesday, July 20th at 7:30 pm in the second Leinster U20 Hurling Championship semi-final as the deferred game live through the TG4 app.

Coming into this game Kilkenny has looked indifferent in their quarter-final win over Laois on the 13th of July, only winning by 3 points with a score of 1-18 to 1-15.

In the first half of that tie, Laois were the team in control, pushing Kilkenny back with a solid running game which saw them lead by a point at the break, with the score in the balance with a 0-11 to 1-07.

However, by the 50th minute, the Cats took control, scoring 0-05 without reply in the space of five minutes to put a marginal distance between the two teams.

Galway will hope they can redeem themselves after losing to Dublin in the rescheduled 2020 Leinster final after losing by 2 points with a score of 1-20 to 1-18 back in June.

Playing well until Dublin took over and just pipped them to the victory, The Tribesmen will be more than motivated to avenge their last defeat and book their place in the Leinster final against either Dublin or Offaly.

Conclusion

As always, the black and orange outfit (Kilkenny) look sharp and stunning in their attack, with full-forward Eoin Guilfoyle a standout. Scoring 0-08 points against Laois, he was the difference that ultimately saw them prevail.

Another player to look out for centre-half forward Conor Kelly, boasting great movement and anticipation, the forward scored the crucial goal to help them reach the semi-final.

Their opponents, Galway will be without scorer Mark Kennedy after his brilliant performance against Dublin, notching a respectable 0-06 from play.

They will have full-forward Donal O’Shea, who scored 0-08 against The Dubs. He could be the difference-maker in this game if it’s a tight affair coming into injury time.

Prediction: Galway by 3 points

Starting Teams 

Kilkenny

 

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Galway

 

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Betting

Kilkenny: 11/4

Galway: 1/3

Draw: 10/1

Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim To Take Place In August

The Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim will take place throughout the month of August.

The event is in its 16th year and will be done in aid of Cancer Care West.

Last year, this annual event which would normally see 150 people crossing the bay in July saw hundreds of people across the world swimming 13km their own way.

2020’s reimagined swim raised a record-breaking €185,000 for the charity and this year the swimming format will follow the same suit, allowing people to get into the water over the course of the month of August to swim 13km.

“The swim is much more than a fundraiser; it’s the swimming highlight for so many swimmers across Ireland,” said Director of Cancer Care West Brian Thornton.

Since the swim began 15 years ago, 740 people have swam the Bay with swimmers around the world as far as Australia taking to the water for last year’s instalment of the event.

The format change allowed people, wherever they were in the world to take part in the Galway Bay Swim, and, if last year’s swim is anything to go by, that will happen again.

“It really brought a sense of achievement and purpose as well as support for Cancer Care West,” said Dave O’Donnell of Cancer Care West.

The money raised will help fund support services for cancer patients and their families through Cancer Care West’s support centres.

People are invited to swim 13km, which can be broken up throughout the whole month.

Swimmers are asked to raise €100 each for Cancer Care West this year and will receive a personalised Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim Technical Tee.

All year round swimmer Paddy McNamara says ‘ this year it gives an opportunity to swimmers of all abilities to do something special for Cancer Care West. This challenge can be completed anywhere in the world so it would be great to see a local and international element to the event.”

To register for the event please log on to  www.galwaybayswim.com

South Africa Announce Side For 1st Lions Test

South Africa have announced their side to face the British and Irish Lions in the first of a three-test series this Saturday.

The game will take place at the Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town and will kick-off at 5 pm.

Flanker Siya Kolisi will captain the side in their first third consecutive Lions series as world champions.

Ox Nche earns the starting loosehead spot vacated by Tendai ‘The Beast’ Mtawarira following his retirement after South Africa’s 2019 Rugby World Cup win.

Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane, who both sustained injuries during that world cup run, start alongside Nche in the front row.

Eben Etzebeth is paired with Franco Mostert in the second row, a man who was an important rotation in the world cup.

Kolisi is joined by 2019 World Player of the Year Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Kwagga Smith in the back row.

Maverick scrum-half Faf de Klerk will wear the number nine shirt this weekend with Handre Pollard deemed to be fit enough to play alongside him at fly-half.

Pollard will earn his 50th cap against the Lions.

Damian De Allende and Lukhanyo Am offer a strong centre partnership while Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin will provide devasting pace on the flanks.

Full-back Willie Le Roux will round off the back three in the number 15 shirt.

The bench sees the Springboks change from a 6-2 split to a 5-3 split with Herschel Jantjies, Elton Jantjies and Damian Willemse being the backs on the bench.

The game will be shown live on Sky Sports.

South Africa v Lions 1st Test 2021

15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk; 1 Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Franco Mostert, Siya Kolisi (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Kwagga Smith.

Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Rynhardt Elstadt, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Damian Willemse.

Can Doherty find his Tottenham form under Nuno?

Matt Doherty is a rare sight for Republic of Ireland supporters as a regular member of the squad playing at the top end of the Premier League. Due to the current dearth of top quality in Ireland’s ranks, Doherty is perhaps the most recognisable figure, plying his trade for Tottenham after completing a move from the Wolves in 2020.

He’s a been solid figure in the backline and will now link up with his former manager Nuno Espirito Santo at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Portuguese joined the full-back in making the journey to north London. Spurs were frustrated in their attempts to hire a replacement for Jose Mourinho, failing to land a number of candidates before Nuno accepted the post. If you’re looking to predict the Premiership, Tottenham are far from title contenders after taking a step back last season, but there could be interest in their odds and hopes for a top-four finish if they regain their form that dipped under Mourinho.

The next two years are crucial for the development of the team, and notably for Doherty as he seeks to establish himself as one of the leading full-backs in the top flight. Doherty will have watched with envy as many of his teammates, including Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, competed into the latter stages of the Euro 2020. He will be hopeful, along with the rest of Ireland, that Stephen Kenny and his men will be competing in the next major tournament at the 2022 World Cup.

Doherty could even be the face of the Ireland team entering the competition if they are able to turn their fortunes around. The 29-year-old played the best football of his career under Nuno at Wolves, impressing at the back with his resilience, but also his ability to drive forward down the right flank, scoring goals and creating opportunities for his teammates. That prowess was checked by the style of Mourinho, and although Nuno does share a lot of tactical similarities with his compatriot, Doherty certainly loved playing under the Portuguese at Molineux.

Spurs were too reliant on the form of Kane and Son Heung-Min last season. The modern way of playing has seen the rise of the wing-back, as evidenced by the performances from the likes of Luke Shaw, Joakim Maehle, and Leonardo Spinazzola during the Euros. Doherty will be relishing the prospect of emulating their performances in the Premier League, should Nuno release the shackles on Tottenham next term.

Doherty will be out to cement his place in the Ireland rearguard and perhaps emerge as a potential leader for his country in the mould of Andy Robertson for Scotland. Seamus Coleman currently holds the armband, but his fitness problems have been longstanding.

Kenny may be on the lookout for a new man to take his team forward and turn around their World Cup qualifying campaign. If he becomes a standout at the top of the Premier League with Spurs, there could be no better candidate than Doherty. It will be fascinating to watch a potential resurgence for the wing-back under Nuno.

Multiple winners of the English Greyhound Derby

The Greyhound Derby is the oldest and most prestigious race in the entirety of the sport, and every owner and trainer make it their goal to win the sought-after trophy each and every year. No one has had more success than trainer Charlie Lister, who won the Derby a record seven times between 1997 and 2013. 

However, whilst trainers landing multiple victories throughout their career is fairly common, greyhounds winning more than one renewal of the Derby is much more of a rarity. In fact, in the race’s rich history, which spans back nearly 100 years, just five greyhounds have won the race successively.  

So, as Deerjet Sydney, who was well backed by those who bet on greyhound racing, failed to etch his name in the history books and land back-to-back victories in the race, faring no better than third at Towcester earlier this month, let’s take a look back at those who have won successive races.

1929-30 – Mick the Miller

Mick the Miller was the first greyhound to win successive renewals of the Greyhound Derby. Trained in Dublin by Paddy Horan, the dog won the third edition of the race at White City Stadium, which was built for the 1908 Summer Olympics, in 1929. Just four dogs ran in the race, but it wasn’t without controversy, as Mick the Miller knocked Entomb over at the first bend and the race was later declared a no race, which did not fare well with the connections of Beadsman. 30 minutes later, the race was re-run, and Mick the Miller came out on top, beating Palatinus by three lengths. 

Now trained at Wimbledon by Sidney Orton, it was another three-length victory for Mick the Miller in 1930. Around 50,000 people attended White City for the meeting and the famous Derby roar spans back to this race, a tradition that still takes place to this day. 

1972-73 – Patricias Hope

It was over 40 years before another greyhound won back-to-back renewals of the Greyhound Derby. Patricias Hope went into the 1972 finale as a 7/1 shot, with Super Rory the odds-on favourite. However, the latter got off to a poor start due to the Derby roar, and Patricias Hope took advantage, beating Bally Lander (16/1) and Micks Pride (25/1), who were second and third respectively, with ease. 

Despite her victory in ’72, Patricias Hope entered the 1973 edition as the third favourite behind Say Little (6/4F) and Forest Noble (3/1). However, she did well to avoid crowding at the first bend, taking the lead on the outside. Softly (12/1), Say Little and Forest Noble applied the pressure late on, but Patricias Hope held on to win by just half-a-length. 

2000-01 – Rapid Ranger

Now held at Wimbledon Stadium, Rapid Ranger ended an almost 30-year wait for a third greyhound to win back-to-back renewals of the Derby. The Lister-trained dog was the 7/4 favourite heading into the 2000 edition of the race, and Rapid Ranger held off the challenges from the likes of Rackethall Jet (7/1), Greenfield Deal (7/1) and Deerfield Sunset (2/1) to win rather easily.

In 2001, Rapid Ranger was knocked off his perch as the favourite by Sonic Flight. However, the Nick Saava-trained dog ran into trouble at the first bend and despite making up some ground to get back into second, it was another straight forward victory for Rapid Ranger.

2005-06 – Westmead Hawk

There wasn’t to be another long wait for a fifth dual winner of the Derby, as just four years after Rapid Ranger’s double triumph, Westmead Hawk reigned triumphant in successive years. The greyhound set off at the 5/4 favourite, but after a poor start to the race, he found himself at the back of the field. However, he seemed to find a second wind, and after kicking up a gear, he surpassed the leaders to nab the lead right before the line. 

It was a similar story for Westmead Hawk in 2006. This time, Saava’s dog set off as the odds-on favourite at 4/7. However, he found himself trailing Mineola Farloe at the final bend. But, another late burst of speed provided a thrilling finish to the race, and Westmead Hawk had enough in the tank to take over the leader and land successive victories. 

 

Boxers Kellie Harrington and Brendan Irvine Are Team Ireland Flag Bearers

Team Ireland boxers Kellie Harrington and Brendan Irvine will be the flag bearers for the Irish Olympians in Friday’s opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

For the first time ever, there can be two flag bearers from each nation – one male, one female.

The opening ceremony will begin at 12:00 pm Irish time and will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.

Boxing is Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport, with 16 of the 31 Irish medals having been won by boxers.

The list of Irish Olympian boxing medallists includes the undisputed lightweight champion in women’s boxing, Katie Taylor and fellow Gold Medal winner Michael Carruth.

Brendan Irvine is competing in his second Olympic Games after taking part in Rio 2016 while Harrington is embarking on her first, and is going into the tournament as one of the top-seeded boxers in the lightweight (-60kg) category.

Speaking on her selection, Harrington said: “This means so much to me, to be able to represent not only myself as a person, but as a boxer, for boxing, for my family and for Ireland. It’s an amazing honour, there are so many athletes out here, and to be chosen as one of the flagbearers is absolutely fantastic.

“I can’t believe it really. Walking out there and realising I’m the flagbearer, it’s the start of the Olympic Games, and I’m at the pinnacle of our sport.”

Her teammate Irvine is also the boxing team captain, competing in the Flyweight category (-49kg).

“I know Brendy a long time now, and he is a fantastic person. He is what you call a leader; he leads the team.

“I’m so happy that it’s him out there with me. I just know we will be looking at each other and smiling. We will be feeling so proud, and I know his family and friends and community are quite like mine and everyone will be so proud of our achievements. I’m absolutely delighted.”

Almost half of the 116 Team Ireland athletes are currently residing in the Olympic village, as well as teams who are settling into the satellite venues.

Team Ireland action begins on Friday, with the rowers in action just ahead of the Opening Ceremony. The Olympic Games in Tokyo run from Friday, July 23rd – Sunday, August 8th, with 116 Irish athletes competing.

Euro 2020 Goalkeeper Rankings

It took a year for Euro 2020 to get underway but it did not disappoint and in the end, it was the Azzurri who took home the hardware and ended a 53-year drought for mother Italy. And although the tournament is over, it is interesting to look back and give credit where it is most assuredly due as we applaud the top five goalkeepers of Euro 2020. Let’s discuss this below. 

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy) 

The 22-year-old was exactly what the Azzurri needed guarding the woodwork and over the course of seven matches, Donnarumma conceded four goals but won two pivotal shootouts to send the Italians to the winner’s circle. And now with the prestigious Euro 2020 trophy added to his mantle, there will be plenty of money to decorate around it after he signed a five-year contract worth a total of €60 million with Paris Saint-Germain on July 15th of 2021

Although some of the best online sportsbooks like YouWager were dealing Italy as one of the favorites of the tournament, it had been so long since the Azzurri had won, that many of the team’s most ardent fans still had their doubts. However, Donnarumma proved the naysayers wrong and he will get paid as one of the best keepers in the world, as he should.

As an aside, when Donnarumma saved the game-winning penalty kick against England and clinched the Euro Cup win for Italy, he calmly walked away from the keep before being mobbed by his teammates. Many questioned his unemotional reaction but the truth was far less complicated. When asked about it, Donnarumma told Sky Sport Italia: “I didn’t celebrate because I didn’t realize we had won!”

Jordan Pickford (England)

The 27-year-old had been going through a rough patch last year and into 2021 before he got back on track and kept the engine humming right through the Euro 2020 before his team ultimately bowed to Italy in a shootout. However, Pickford proved to be worthy of his lofty reputation and had clearly shaken off whatever funk ailed him. 

Pickford would end with five clean sheets and plenty of highlight-reel saves. His Everton coach, Alan Kelly, described his performance thusly, “On a personal level, Jordan was superb in the final, as he has been throughout the tournament. He’s really stepped up and been a shining light for his country.

“It wasn’t just his penalty saves in the final, his performance throughout the 120 minutes was superb. He was faultless.

“He was calm, cool, and controlled. He stood up and was counted on when the big moments happened. In terms of the penalties, you can do no more than he did as a goalkeeper, making two brilliant saves.”

Yann Sommer (Switzerland)

Like his counterpart from England, Jordan Pickford, Sommer had been having his fair share of difficulties leading up to the Euro 2020 but he rose to the occasion and played magnificently despite shoddy defense from his Swiss teammates. When the dust settled, Sommer had recorded a whopping 21 saves, the most in the tournament, despite playing in only five games. 

After the Swiss stunned France in a 3-3 game that was ultimately decided by penalty kicks, Sommer stated, “What an evening of football,” Sommer said. “It was our chance to finally go through the round of 16 because we never made it before. It’s incredible. We played with heart and with character. It’s amazing.”

 

Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)

Courtois has settled nicely into his role with his team, Real Madrid, after an initial season in which the road was rather rocky. And that confidence carried over into his performance at the Euro Cup. The 6’7” tower of power enjoyed three clean sheets in four games and was a star for Belgium until they fell, 2-1, to Italy. 

After his outstanding performance against Portugal, in which the Red Devils triumphed, 1-0, Belgium coach, Roberto Martinez, made this observation when chatting with Belgian channel RTBF, “I liked his performance and his dribbling. He is at the level of the World Cup, if not more. And in the World Cup, he was designated the best goalkeeper.”

Kasper Schmeichel (Denmark) 

The Leicester City legend had a stellar tournament for Denmark and nearly took his team to the finals but ultimately bowed to England in a 2-1 thriller. But the game was marred by allegations of a laser being pointed at Schmeichel’s face as he faced a penalty kick that he initially saved but was scored on the rebound.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Schmeichel said: “Yes, I did not experience it (the laser) on the penalty kick because it was behind me on my right side. But I experienced it in the second half. I told the referee and he went to say something to the other officials.”

 

BBC Panorama Horse Racing Investigation Reaction

The BBC Panorama programme on horse racing on Monday night had a large reach and fueled a lot of discourse on social media last night.

‘Panorama: The Dark Side of Horse Racing’ was aired at 8:30 pm on BBC One and is available to watch on the iPlayer.

The topic that the show covered in its latest instalment – the unethical killing of racehorses – led to some people making their minds up on the programme before it had even begun.

Some lovers of horse racing chose to shine a light on the brighter side of horse racing rather than talk about the downsides that Panorama covered.

One Twitter user championed his ex-racehorse Kavi, a horse trained by Simon Earle and one that took part in competitive horse racing events for 10 years of its life.

‘@Kavismate’ said that Kavi lives a “happy semi-retirement on Dartmoor”.

However, others who knew of the show chose to watch it and were not happy with what they saw.

One social media user attacked the horse racing industry and included the greyhound industry in their comment on the programme.

User ‘@Stu93375301’ believes that both racing industries are “barbaric.”

Newstalk spoke to the founder of the Animal Rights Animal Network John Carnaby who did not watch the programme but said that the issues raised by it are “inherent in that industry.”

Several viewers defended horse racing online with these viewers choosing to declare the issue solely a problem of those that work in the abattoir that was filmed by Animal Aid.

Sky Sports’ Alex Hammond spoke of the treatment her own horse received under a post by trainer Fergal O’Brien.

She said he “lived every day like the start he was” and “was treated like a king.”

Another user underneath O’Brien’s post, ‘@kevinrogers687’, also said that racehorses are “treated like royalty and are loved like they are one of the family.”

Furthermore, they do not believe the topic is a racing issue when they leave the stables, instead they become the sole responsibility of the owners at that point.

Their declaration of the topic not affecting racing earned the user six likes.

The programme saw opinions divided online and the topic may continue to follow that trend.

Séamus Power Wins First PGA Tour Tournament

Séamus Power has won the Barbasol Championship via a play-off to get his first win on the PGA Tour after 106 starts.

He becomes the latest Irish winner on the PGA Tour and the fifth ever, following in the footsteps of the likes of Pádraig Harrington and Shane Lowry in recent history.

Power is the first Irish champion of the Barbasol Championship, with his five-under-par Sunday taking him into a playoff against the overnight leader J.T. Potson who, much like Louis Oosthuizen at The Open, squandered his advantage.

Potson allowed Power to gain the advantage with his poor display on three of the final four holes and the Waterford native didn’t let go of it.

The pair birdied the first extra hole and parred the next four in the play-off but a shot into the water from Potson doomed the American’s title hopes.

The Olympian missed his first putt but stroked in his second from close range to par the sixth extra hole and win the tournament.

The 34-year-old has seen a remarkable turnaround in fortune in recent weeks, with the Tooraneena man achieving six top-20 finishes in his last six starts after nine straight cuts.

Four of those finishes are in the top 10 with his first PGA Tour win granting Power the praise he deserves after an impressive three-month spell.

The win in Kentucky earned Power his PGA Tour card for the 2022 season and his highest-ever world ranking of 113th, three of 2016 Masters Champion Danny Willett.

He currently ranks 69th in the FedEx Cup rankings and has 665 points to his name – nine events previous, his points tally was 20.

The Irish golfer is within the requirements needed to make the playoffs this year, as a result.

The FedEx Cup playoffs begin on August 19th with the first of three events, the Northern Trust, taking place at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.

Liverpool make offer for PSV striker Malen

Liverpool are looking for even more competition in their forward line with PSV Eindhoven striker Donyell Malen according to newspaper O Jogo

There is no other way of looking at it; Liverpool had a poor, challenging season last year. The important thing is that they managed to keep their Champions League status and now they want to bolster their squad to compete for the title again.

Their main problem was the lack of quality backup options they had in defence. With the signing of French centre back Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk back from injury, they hope this is fixed.

Next they are looking to their forwards where, other than Mohamed Salah’s 22 goals, they seemed lack lustre.

According to O Jogo newspaper, Klopp and Liverpool have made an offer for the highly rated goal scorer Donyell Malen. They are also planning to use Marko Grujic in the deal to bring down the asking price.

He currently has a transfer value of around €35 million but this will probably go up after he played at Euro 2020.

How good is Donyell Malen?

The 22-year-old used to be at the books Arsenal when he was a teenager. Since leaving London in 2017, he has scored 61 goals in 133 games for the PSV first team.

Last season, he finished second in the league’s top scorer list which granted him a call up to Netherlands Euro 2020 team. Though the Dutch made a disappointing exit to the Czech Republic, Malen got two assist when while being paired with Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst.

He is a very fast player, capable of some neat finishing but it will be interesting to see if he would adjust to the Premier League this time around.

What does this mean for Liverpool now?

It would be tough to see Malen beating out strikers Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota for a starting place at the beginning of the season.

It is more likely that the Dutchman will be used to create more competition between Liverpool’s strikers in training and improve their performances.

Would Malen be interested in leaving his starting spot at Eindhoven for at least a few weeks on the bench at Liverpool? We will find out in the coming weeks.

 

 

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