The draws have been made for the Leinster and Munster Hurling Championships. It remains a provincial knockout system. With back door a system and not round-robin games.
Munster Football quarter-finals: Kerry v Clare; Waterford v Limerick
Munster Football semi-finals: Tipperary v Kerry/Clare; Cork v Waterford/Limerick
Munster Hurling quarter-final: Clare v Waterford
Munster Hurling semi-finals: Limerick v Cork; Tipperary v Clare/Waterford
It is with great sadness we report the death of Jockey Lorna Brooke after a horror fall at Taunton this month, the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) has announced in a statement.
A statement from the IJF was released on Monday morning, which read: “It is with deep sadness that we have to share the tragic news that Lorna Brooke passed away yesterday.
“Her family thank everyone for their kindness in the last ten days, particularly the staff at Southmeads Hospital who were so professional. They will be having a private funeral and will hold a celebration of Lorna’s life once Covid-19 restrictions allow.”
It has been a great month for racing but this tragedy will put a huge cloud over the industry.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam
Update – Saturday 17th April
A statement from the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) was released on behalf of her family on Friday evening, which read: “Amateur jockey Lorna Brooke is currently in intensive care at Southmead Hospital, Bristol. She is critical, but stable.
“Her family thank everyone for their good wishes but request privacy at this difficult time.”
Update 14th April
In what was a horrible fall and Lorna Brooke has been in Bristol since and there had only been one update stating that she was in a “serious but stable condition”. But her friend Kate Jones has posted an update on Facebook.
“Taken Sue to see Lorna today, due to covid regulations Sue is the only visitor allowed to see Lorna. However, I did manage to have a phone call with her, and as you would expect from the total warrior that she is her spirits are so positive!!! She is fighting her way back to recovery already”
“Her Op went well and her neck is now pinned and plated so is stable, Due to the nature of the injury, it is now a waiting game to allow the swelling to subside and hopefully allow her to regain movement. This is all in the balance so keep any prayers coming that she is able to recover to some sort of normality. It’s going to be a long road to recovery but Lorna is already talking about being able to overcome it and I’ve told her there is no option but to better as we are all wishing her to be.”
Brooke had ridden seven winners from around 200 rides over the last few seasons and had been riding Orchestrated for Lady Susan Brooke.
Clerk of the course Jason Loosemore told the Racing Post: “She [Lorna] was airlifted to Bristol Southmead Hospital for ongoing assessment and has been stabilised and was conscious throughout.
Count Otto put his assured race fitness to good use when scoring for the fourth time since the turn of the year with a tenacious success in the bet365 Handicap.
Having been kept busy during the winter the Amanda Perrett-trained Sir Prancealot gelding showed a willing attitude to back up his three victories on the all-weather this year in the six furlong contest.
Though pressed late on by Chil Chil, the six year old rallied well under Jim Crowley to hold off the Andrew Balding-trained gelding by a neck.
Perrett said of the 9-1 winner: “He is a wonderful little horse and he has been very consistent since January. He had a bit of an injury after Epsom (in July 2020) as something galloped into the back of him so it gave him a nice holiday. He has come back and it is great to see him do it on the turf.
“He was only beaten a neck at the track last year and he loves fast ground. From January that’s his fourth win of the year and any horse that does that is worth their weight in gold.
“He ran in the consolation race for the Stewards’ Cup a couple of times before. He doesn’t mind coming down a hill as long as he has the last furlong on the level.
“It would be nice to have a go in the big one (Stewards’ Cup). One of his owners would love to run in the Ayr Gold Cup but usually the ground has gone by then.”
John Catlin claimed his third victory in just 13 events at the Austrian Golf Open on Sunday.
The American triumphed in a dramatic five-hole play-off with Maximilian Kieffer. This followed a similarly thrilling final-day battle with the German in regulation play.
Catlin began the day two shots back from the lead. He played in the penultimate group behind Kieffer and third round leaders Martin Kaymer and Alejandro Cañizares.
The 30-year-old was at one point in the day four strokes behind Kieffer, who got off to a roaring start. A determined display from the Californian yielded seven birdies for an impressive closing 65. This forced extra holes with Kieffer, who signed for a 66.
In a roller coaster play-off, Kieffer looked to have earned a shock victory. He sank a monster putt for birdie on the third extra hole. Catlin, however, was equal to the task and knocked in a tester for his two.
It was a disappointing end for Kieffer, who found the water three times at the fifth attempt down the par three 18th at Diamond Country Club. He handed victory to a delighted Catlin – who moved to 24th in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
Play-off:
J CATLIN: 3, 3, 2, 3, 4; M KIEFFER: 3, 3, 2, 3, 8
274 J CATLIN (USA) 68 70 71 65, M KIEFFER (GER) 72 68 68 66,
277 M KAYMER (GER) 68 70 69 70.
280 W BESSELING (NED) 72 71 70 67, M ARMITAGE (ENG) 73 69 70 68, G HIGGO (RSA) 72 71 69 68.
281 N H?JGAARD (DEN) 70 72 72 67, A BAUTISTA (AUS) 74 67 71 69, M SCHWAB (AUT) 71 75 66 69, J KRUYSWIJK (RSA) 68 72 70 71, A CA?IZARES (ESP) 67 70 70 74.
282 R PARATORE (ITA) 78 66 71 67, R H?JGAARD (DEN) 71 75 69 67, J LUITEN (NED) 71 70 69 72.
283 S HORSFIELD (ENG) 74 73 69 67, G PORTEOUS (ENG) 75 68 71 69, K KITAYAMA (USA) 71 72 71 69, S CHAWRASIA (IND) 72 68 73 70, L GAGLI (ITA) 70 72 71 70, D WHITNELL (ENG) 74 71 68 70,
284 C WOOD (ENG) 73 72 71 68, J WALTERS (RSA) 71 68 74 71, D GAVINS (ENG) 69 74 67 74,
285 Z LOMBARD (RSA) 72 70 77 66, A DEL REY (ESP) 74 71 73 67, C HOWIE (SCO) 76 70 69 70, N VON DELLINGSHAUSEN (GER) 74 72 65 74,
286 R SANTOS (POR) 75 69 71 71, C SHARVIN (NIR) 75 71 69 71, J GONNET (FRA) 72 72 70 72, R MANSELL (ENG) 69 71 73 73, J WINTHER (DEN) 69 73 71 73,
287 R MCEVOY (ENG) 75 72 72 68, P ANGLES (ESP) 76 71 72 68, B HEBERT (FRA) 75 72 71 69, D LAWSON (AUS) 77 70 71 69, P DUNNE (IRL) 73 71 72 71, B RITTHAMMER (GER) 70 75 71 71, M SCHMITT (GER) 72 75 69 71, P ORIOL (ESP) 69 74 72 72, A WU (CHN) 72 72 71 72, A CHESTERS (ENG) 76 69 70 72, M KAWAMURA (JPN) 76 71 68 72, A SADDIER (FRA) 71 72 69 75,
Leinster, Munster, Connacht & Ulster Minor Football Fixtures & Results from the 2021 Championship. Will we see Mayo v Galway & Kerry v Cork.
Munster Football quarter-finals: Kerry v Clare; Waterford v Limerick
Munster Football semi-finals: Tipperary v Kerry/Clare; Cork v Waterford/Limerick
Munster Hurling quarter-final: Clare v Waterford
Munster Hurling semi-finals: Limerick v Cork; Tipperary v Clare/Waterford
We will have the full fixtures for the league and championship around April 22nd, 2021
The former Ireland international has been instrumental in helping Cambridge United to the top of League Two.
As a 38-year-old midfielder who’s been playing regular football for the good part of 20 years, you would expect Wes Hoolahan to slowly fade into retirement at this stage of his career.
He only played a total of 11 league games between two seasons for West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle Jets. So, when Cambridge United announced his signing, there wasn’t much expected of Hoolahan who was seen by many as past it or crocked.
Well, Hoolahan has gone on to prove his doubters wrong, endearing himself to Cambridge United fans as somewhat of a cult hero in the process.
Hoolahan has been one of his side’s most impressive performers this season which currently sees them sat at 1st in the EFL League Two table. The U’s weren’t seen as promotion contenders at the start of the season, having finished at a modest 16th place the previous season. So, for them to be top of the league with just 4 games remaining is quite the achievement.
“Wessi”, as he’s affectionately known by Norwich City, Ireland and now Cambridge United fans, has contributed an impressive 8 assists and 5 goals in 33 league games this season. He’s been so awe-inspiring that he won League Two Player of the Month in January, and could well be on his way to a Team of the Year inclusion.
Yesterday, he assisted the winner in what could be a season-defining 3 points for Cambridge.
NOBODY was stopping @declandrysdale8 from getting his head to that ball. 💪
Textbook sliding cele too. 😎 #CamUTD pic.twitter.com/FPiHCrtc7N
— Cambridge United FC (@CambridgeUtdFC) APRIL 18, 2021
I’m sure many people would like to see Hoolahan return to the Ireland fold, particularly given the lack of creativity within the team currently. Realistically, that won’t happen, though.
It doesn’t seem likely that he’ll hang up his boots at the end of this season given his ability is still very much evident. At the same time, time isn’t on his side and it’s not very often you see footballers enjoy career longevity like Hoolahan has.
A farewell season in League One – assuming that Cambridge will achieve promotion – could be on the cards for Hoolahan in what’s been a storied career for one of the most overlooked players of the 21st century.
Still the 🔝🐕
Different levels from Wessi #CamUTD pic.twitter.com/ZhedBrmexx
— Cambridge United FC (@CambridgeUtdFC) MARCH 21, 2021
The former Ireland boss let his opinion be heard during a discussion regarding UEFA’s 10-match ban of Ondrej Kudela for racial abuse.
Brian Kerr has long been an advocate for equality in football – and society in general, of course. So, when the topic of Ondrej Kudela’s 10-game ban imposed by UEFA was brought up as a topic of discussion during Virgin Media Sport’s Europa League coverage, he didn’t hold back in voicing his opinion.
For context, Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela racially abused Rangers’ midfielder Glen Kamara during a Europa League Round of 16 tie. Kudela approached Kamara during a break in play, covered his mouth with his hand and whispered something – presumably of a racist nature – into Kamara’s ear. This sparked an immediate reaction from Kamara and fellow Rangers’ player Bongani Zungu which resulted in a scuffle between the two teams.
It was announced on Wednesday that Kudela was found guilty of racial abuse and handed a 10-game ban by UEFA, while Kamara received a 3-game ban for assaulting Kudela after the game.
“It’s disgusting in society, it’s disgusting in football and for far too long UEFA and FIFA as the authorities in world football have been miles too lenient,” said Brian Kerr on UEFA’s decision.
“This has gone on far too long, right around Europe. Groups like SARI for years have been trying to deal with UEFA and to get them to put out strong punishments to associations and clubs. Not just closing down sections of grounds, making them play away games for a long time. Really punishing them. Fining clubs and fining associations substantial amounts of money, so that they’ll put proper policies in place.
“We’ve seen an uprising recently in support for the Black Lives Matter movement and various rights around abuse and racism and the internet and how players have been abused. I’m glad, but it’s taken far too long for it to be recognised and for this uprising to take place in support of what’s only common decency and respect of all human beings.”
Host Tommy Martin and panellist Keith Andrews agreed with Brian Kerr’s sentiment, claiming UEFA’s punishment was far too lenient given the offence.
Slavia Prague were knocked out of the Europa League on the night, losing 4-0 (5-1 aggregate) to English side Arsenal.
There are thousands of sportsbook reviews online, each trying to be the best of the other. Searching for a review on a particular sportsbook comes with all kinds of results, and sometimes finding the best one can be more challenging than you may have thought.
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Sportsbook reviews are essential; otherwise, people will have to chat and share information on the different sportsbooks. Information such as payouts, promotions, payment methods, and customer service has played a significant role in perceiving other sportsbooks. Betting.net is a great place to start for reputable information on different sportsbooks.
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The proposed Irish MMA – or more specifically UFC – invasion during the mid-2010’s never quite came to fruition. The rapid ascent of Conor McGregor up the UFC rankings as well as the success of Irish/Straight Blast Gym fighters at UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Diego Brandão in Dublin got a lot of people very excited about the future of MMA in Ireland. McGregor’s exclamation of “we’re not here to take part, we’re here to take over” at the same event did nothing to calm the hype train, either.
It’s now 7 years after that event and it’s safe to say that there was no take over. Of course, you have the obvious success of Conor McGregor who famously went on to knock out the phenomenal José Aldo in just 13 seconds to win the UFC Featherweight Championship. After that, he became the first fighter to hold UFC titles in multiple divisions at the same time after defeating Eddie Alvarez to win the Lightweight Championship. Other than McGregor though, none of his compatriots would go on to leave a lasting legacy in the MMA world.
That’s not to say that the future of Irish MMA is bleak, though. In fact, there’s a number of Irish fighters coming through that we could be hearing a lot more about in the not-so-distant future. James Gallagher, Dean Barry and Leah McCourt are just some examples that spring to mind.
The most promising of the lot, though, could be welterweight Ian Garry. The Dubliner currently competes in Irish promotion Cage Warriors where he holds a record of 6-0 and is aptly nicknamed “The Future”.
Of his professional MMA bouts, Garry has finished all but one of his opponents. His most impressive performance coming in his last fight against UFC alumnus Rostem Akman on the 19th March where he delivered a devastating head-kick KO to the Swede in the second round of the fight.
Beaut of a finish by “The Future” @iangarryMMA pic.twitter.com/mGjYCG1XP1
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) MARCH 19, 2021
“UFC, I’m coming,” shouted Garry at the camera after the finish, showing his high levels of confidence – that’s not at all misplaced.
The UFC is clearly Garry’s long-term goal. However, he remains at Cage Warriors for the time being and his next bout will be the biggest of his career to date. He’s scheduled to fight Englishman Jack Grant (17-6) in June for the vacant Cage Warrior’s Welterweight Belt.
If Garry does manage to win the belt, it’ll be very hard for the UFC to ignore.
Whether he’s awarded a contract immediately or given a shot at Dana White’s Contender Series, there’s every chance we could see Ian Garry competing in the UFC very soon.
It’s all smiles… for now. Ian Garry vs Jack Grant is your Welterweight Title tournament final.🔥 pic.twitter.com/YdRG6e4I9b
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) MARCH 22, 2021
Manchester City, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea all won their quarter-final ties.
The Champions League semi-finalists have been fully confirmed today after Manchester City and Real Madrid managed to overcome their opponents over two legs. They’ll be joined by Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, who achieved the same feat yesterday.
Manchester City were tasked with defeating Borussia Dortmund over two legs to get to the semi-finals and they managed it in the end, despite a shaky start which seen them go down 1-0 (2-2 on aggregate). They eventually managed to win the tie 2-1 (4-2 on aggregate) with goals from Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden.
The other English side playing tonight, Liverpool, couldn’t quite achieve qualification like their neighbours. It was a scoreless draw between themselves and Real Madrid tonight, but the latter’s 3-1 victory in the first was enough to propel them into the semis.
Chelsea managed to beat Porto over two legs last night while Paris Saint-Germain went through on away goals against Bayern Munich, despite losing 1-0 on the night.
The fixtures and dates for the semi-final ties have already been confirmed. Chelsea will take on Real Madrid while Manchester City will face Paris Saint-Germain, meaning there’s every possibility we could see an all-English final. The semi-finals will be played between the 27th April and 5th May.
The final will then be played on Saturday 29th May at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
The 2020/21 semi-finals are set ✅
🇹🇷🏆 Who will reach the final in Istanbul❓#UCL pic.twitter.com/W7KUOm1uah
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) APRIL 14, 2021
Natalya Coyle is aiming to sharpen her epee and improve her fencing form in Sofia this week with only 100 days to go until the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Coyle and her Irish team-mate Sive Brassil will compete in the last event of the regular season, UIPM 2021 Pentathlon World Cup Sofia (II), in the coming days.
With qualification taking place tomorrow (15 April) and the women’s final following on Saturday (17 April), two-time Olympian Coyle wants two more opportunities to test herself on the piste against the best fencers in the pentathlon world.
The 30-year-old from Meath finished seventh at the season-opener in Budapest in March but only after a fencing performance in the final that she described as “rusty” – 19 wins from 35 bouts.
Having worked hard for the past three weeks – and throughout the competition shutdown – with Pentathlon Ireland fencing coach Andrey Fedotov, she is ready to put her training into practice in the Bulgarian capital.
Coyle said: “I wanted to get back home and recover well after the first World Cup. It meant I was able to get a bit of training in at home, after quarantine, and I’m feeling nice and ready to go now.
“I am just looking forward to getting out and competing again. It’s going to be good to fence at a high standard again, as our access in Ireland is limited.”
Coyle has already qualified for Tokyo, courtesy of her performance at the 2019 European Championships, but 27-year-old Brassil is still very much in the thick of the chase, sitting 29th in the UIPM Olympic World Ranking.
This week’s competition will have a big influence on Olympic qualification, with only the Pentathlon World Cup Final and Pentathlon World Championships to follow before the rescheduled Games this summer.
Coyle admits she is happy to be back in amongst the competition circuit after cheering on Brassil and her other senior Irish team-mate, fiancée Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe, from home last week.
She said: “It was so nerve-wracking following everyone at home. I mainly get nervous for the semi-finals and then once everyone is safely through I relax.
“It’s great to have familiar faces around. Arthur isn’t here this week but it’s lovely when he’s here as well.
“It feels great and amazing that the Olympics are getting so close. Last year I didn’t know if the Games would go ahead and now that we’re 100 days to go I’m just delighted.
“Unfortunately I don’t see many people as we’re in a training bubble, but I hope everyone’s getting excited. Hopefully I can give everyone something to cheer about!”
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