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FAI New Balance Intermediate Cup Final set for Saturday 22nd August

The FAI New Balance Intermediate Cup Final will take place on Saturday, August 22, with kick-off at 5pm, at Tallaght Stadium, Dublin.

St. Mochta’s will face Killester Donnycarney after both sides narrowly came through their semi-final ties.

St. Mochta’s achieved a narrow 1-0 win at Malahide United whilst Killester Donnycarney secured an impressive 3-2 win at Munster Senior League side Ringmahon Rangers.

The match will be streamed live on the FAIreland Facebook page with coverage set to start at 4.55pm.

How Athletes Can Train Effectively During the Age of Coronavirus

The world continues to change in the age of the coronavirus, and sports athletes are not immune to change. Gyms, university fitness centers, and professional training facilities have all been shuttered.

This has caused many trainers and athletes to ponder the question of hot to train during COVID. And how to train at a level needed to stay competitive.

Sports has definitely felt the blow of coronavirus. Many professional futbol leagues around the globe, the United States MLS, NBA, MLB, and NFL leagues stand on uncertain ground. Even the summer olympics have been postponed. Not to mention the effect on fans and the wagers made via online sports betting sites like Sidelines.

In some ways, this gives athletes a unique moment in time to take training to the next level. But without training facilities readily available, what metric of fitness can be achieved? Athletes of course are not only physically capable of rising to the occasion, but also mentally tough.

How can athletes train effectively during the age of coronavirus? Let’s take a look at some ways professional athletes from around the world are taking on training during COVID.

Pro Athletes Taking Training To The House

Athletes are still training, honing their bodies and minds in anticipation for potential sports events to come. Do not think professional athletes are simply taking a break from their craft. In fact, many are training in very creative ways. Backyards, livingrooms, and offices are being transformed into at home training facilities. Just not so state-of-the-art.

Kilian Frankiny, professional Swiss cyclist, trains by riding his cycle stationary at home. In fact, Frankiny just competed in the Digital Swiss 5, a virtual cycling event that stood in for the canceled Tour de Suisse.

One of Great Britain’s professional pole vaulters, Holly Bradshaw, continues to practice her technique in her home backyard.

Canada’s national water polo player, Kyra Christmas, built a pool in her backyard where she trains drilling in goals at her home in Alberta, Canada.

It is clear that athletes are still going about training, getting ready for upcoming events. However, this is where effective training during the age of coronavirus becomes complicated. Many athletes don’t know when or if the next event will take place as scheduled.

Uncertainty Of Scheduled Events Proves Problematic For Training

Training may not be the issue for athletes. Yes, not having the high-level training facilities open does prove an issue for athletes. But athletes have taken training to the house, continuing to prepare physically and mentally. But the mental aspect may be wavering as scheduled events continue to be uncertain.

 

For example, Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi landed in Greece this March with plans to train for the month and then participate in the Olympic Torch Relay. But none of this went according to plan. 

 

Training was a bust, and the Olympic Torch Relay was cancelled. Even Stefanidi had her poles stuck at an airport due to coronavirus measures. No poles, no pole vault training possible. This caused her and her team to worry about the mental and physical training level needed to compete in the Olympics, whenever they happen. She did, however, win a virtual pole vault event recently. 

 

Many athletes feel the same mental exhaustion. Olympic athletes sit in coronavirus uncertainty. Even pro athletes in the U.S. are feeling the uncertain COVID impact. The NFL teams have yet to get word on where, when, or how long the upcoming season will be. If the season happens at all.

Athletes May Be Working On The Mental Game More Than Ever Before

Athletes spend countless hours training their bodies. And you will hear professional athletes speak about the mental game from time to time too. Well, in the age of coronavirus, the mental game may be just what they are working the most on.

 

U.S. Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry had the same lack of physical training outlets to explore. Berry normally trains at the University of Houston in Texas. It is not uncommon for professional athletes to train at university facilities. But the facilities at the university have been closed due to COVID.

 

Berry found solace in overall improvement. She told media outlets, “”I’m working on a lot of things. My goal isn’t just to get to the Olympics. I’ve already been there. My goal is to continue improving, to reach excellence.”

 

Mental being a big part of every sport, athletes are training effectively during the age of coronavirus in many different ways, regardless if a training facility is available.

Top sprinter Sceptical fatally injured

Trainer Denis Hogan has been dealt a devastating blow with the death of Ireland’s top sprinter Sceptical on Tuesday.

The four-year-old, unraced for Godolphin, cost just €3,000 when bought at the sales by Hilltop Racing.

The gelding suffered a fatal injury on the gallops this morning while training. He was due to run in the Rathasker Stud Phoenix Stakes at The Curragh this weekend.

Sceptical won four races in a row, including the Listed Woodlands Stakes at Naas, before finishing a close third to Hello Youmzain and Dream Of Dreams in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The son of Exceed And Excel, rated 116, last ran in the July Cup at Newmarket, where he finished runner-up to Oxted.

Denis Hogan, who retired from race riding last week during the Galway Races in order to concentrate on his training career, announced the news via his Twitter account this morning, stating:

“We have been dealt a devastating cruel blow at Boherna this morning with the loss of our superstar sprinter Sceptical. He was a horse of a lifetime and a game changer for my training career and everyone at Boherna.”

Sceptical’s owners paid tribute to him, saying:

“He was an amazing horse for us and we’ll remember all the great days we enjoyed with him.”

World Snooker Tour dates for 2020

The World Snooker Tour has announced a packed calendar for the first half of the 2020-21 season, with nine tournaments between September and December.

The Betfred World Championship was selected as the first indoor sporting event in the UK with a crowd, then following a revision of British Government guidelines it reverted to being behind closed doors at this stage.

As China has announced that international sporting events will not take place in the country until 2021, WST’s intention has been to reschedule certain UK tournaments into the slots usually taken by events in China.

The 2020-21 season will begin with the Matchroom Multi Sport promoted Championship League. Previously an invitation event, this has now been expanded into a full ranking event for all players on the tour.

This follows the ground-breaking success of this tournament when it was staged at the beginning of June, becoming the UK’s first major post-lockdown sporting event.

The Championship League will take place over three legs: the first from September 13-20, the second from September 28 to October 5 and the third from October 23-27.

The second ranking event of the season will be the European Masters to be played from September 21-27.

As usual, three of the Home Nations series tournaments will take place before Christmas: the English Open (October 12-18), Northern Ireland Open (November 16 to 22) and Scottish Open (December 7 to 13).

The quick-fire Shoot Out takes place from October 29 to November 1, followed by the Champion of Champions from November 2 to 8.

The first Triple Crown event of the campaign, the UK Championship at the York Barbican, runs from November 24 to December 6. And the first event of the Coral Series, the World Grand Prix, has been brought forward to December 14 to 20.

World Snooker Tour dates for remainder of 2020

September 13-20
Championship League

September 21-27
European Masters

September 28 to October 5
Championship League

October 12-18
English Open

October 23-27
Championship League

October 29 to November 1
Shoot Out

November 2-8
Champion of Champions

November 10-14
German Masters qualifiers

November 16-22
Northern Ireland Open

November 24 to December 6
UK Championship

December 7-13
Scottish Open

December 14-20
World Grand Prix

Sam Bennett to lead Deceuninck – Quick-Step at Milano–Torino on Wednesday

Irish Champion Sam Bennett will lead the Deceuninck – Quick-Step at the 101st edition of Milano–Torino on Wednesday.

The Irish rider, a winner of stage 4 of the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain last week, will be suited by the altered course for this year’s race – Italy’s oldest – which will favour sprinters.

Milano–Torino – first held in 1876 – will be a mainly flat 198km course between Mesero and Stupinigi, except for the crossing of Monferrato, where the riders will face a series of short climbs that should not have any major impact on the outcome.

Bennett, with his confidence buoyed by last week’s spectacular win, will be joined on the Deceunick – Quick Step team by his regular lead-out men New Zealander Shane Archbold and Dane Michael Mørkøv, along with Belgian Tim Declercq, American Ian Garrison, Mikkel Honoré from Denmark, and Yves Lampaert of Belgium.

Meanwhile, Ryan Mullen will be part of Trek-Segafredo’s team participating in the five-stage Tour de Pologne, a World Tour race, which also begins on Wednesday.

Leinster duo set for spell on sidelines

Leinster duo James Ryan and Adam zbyrne are set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up injuries in training. The players were likely going to be key players for Leo Cullen when action resumes on 22nd of August.

The news comes after Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has issued a squad injury update. Cullen is now looking at finalising his plans for that crucial game against Munster in two weeks time.

The former Ireland and Leinster lock said that James Ryan suffered a shoulder injury in training and had a procedure to address the issue. Cullen said that he is expected to be out for 10-12 weeks. This will likely rule him out of the Six Nations games at the end of October against France and Italy.

Winger Adam Byrne picked up a hamstring injury in training and is also due to undergo a procedure later this week according TO Cullen. This again has lengthy absence of up to 12 weeks.

In other injury news, Peter Dooley is currently recovering from a shoulder injury. He is expected to return to training in a next couple of weeks. Vakh Abdaladze suffered a recurrence of his back injury. He is currently looking for a second opinion on what is the best option for him do regarding the injury. Meanwhile, James Lowe has returned to training last week following government health guidelines and advice upon arriving back from New Zealand. There is also good news around the return of Dan Leavy who is continuing to integrate gradually into rugby training after a significant multi-ligament knee. injury.

Leinster return to action on August 22nd with a game against Munster at the Aviva Stadium. A week later Leo Cullen’s side will play Ulster also taking place at the Aviva Stadium.

Sunday Club Hurling Round Up

Another fantastic weekend of GAA club hurling championship matches across the country. Let’s take a look at the round up for Sunday below.

In Cork the 2006 All Ireland Senior champions Newtownshandrum had a good win over Bishopstown. Shandrum hit 11 points without reply to secure the win of 0-21 to 1-15. Cork senior hurler Lorcan McLoughlin scored 1-04 for Kanturk as they also secured a win, 2-18 to 1-09 in the end. Newcestown overpowered Killeagh, winning by 5 points, 1-18 to 1-13. Carrigtwohill and Na Piarsaigh shared the spoils 1-17 apiece. Fermoy had a 0-15 to 0-13 win over Mallow also.

In Waterford Roanmore registered four goals as they beat Clonea 4-16 to 2-09. Roanmore had a 3-06 to 0-05 lead at half and pushed on further in the second half with another inside the opening minute of the second half. Passage had a 1-18 to 0-17 win over Tallow also in Waterford hurling championship. There was also action in Wicklow, with Eire Og of Greystones having to much for Avondale winning 3-11 to 2-10. The Donegal hurling championship also got underway with St Eunans beating Setanta by 9 points, 2-13 to 0-10.

RESULTS

Cork SHC

Newtownshandrum 0-21 Bishopstown 1-15

Carrigtwohill 1-17 Na Piarsaigh 1-17

Newcestown 1-18 Killeagh 1-13

Fermoy 0-15 Mallow 0-13

Donegal SHC

St Eunan’s 2-13 Setanta 0-10

Waterford SHC

Clonea 2-09 Roanmore 4-16

Passage 1-18 Tallow 0-17

Wicklow SHC

Éire Óg Greystones 3-11 Avondale 2-10

How To Choose A Baseball Catchers Bag

A catchers bag is an essential piece of equipment for any individual with a catcher’s role in a baseball team. The container should provide the necessary convenience to help catchers carry their gear. But, it doesn’t mean you should choose just any bag you find sitting on a store shelf.

 

Here are four ways to help you choose the correct baseball catchers bag for your specific needs:

 

Understand Your Gear Size

 

Note that baseball catchers will have different size requirements.

Take a look at catchers mask sizes as an example since you should find two major categories for these products: youth and adult masks. The former tends to fit baseball players in the little leagues, whereas the latter tends to be for catchers aged 13 years and above.

 

Hence, catchers bags should be able to fit different equipment with ease. Look for a container that can fit your gear, while still giving you enough space for other items, such as a towel or smartphone. 

Check The Quality Of The Bag

 

After checking the amount of storage possible for your chosen catchers bag, don’t forget to assess the item’s quality. Perhaps, you can save a few dollars on a cheap container. However, the bag might have poor quality construction, which means the material might be easy to rip and tear.  It’s safe to say that many cheap bags don’t last. So, it would be best to spend extra cash and invest in a high-quality catchers bag.

Some elements to consider while assessing the product’s quality may include the zipper, extra features, and proper insulation. The zipper shouldn’t jam consistently, and it should generate a tight seal to avoid getting your gear damaged from the elements. 

 

Moreover, a high-quality catchers bag tends to have extra features for added convenience. For example, a large bag may come with wheels to help catchers carry their equipment without carrying heavy items on their shoulders. 

 

You’ll also know if the bag is a step above the rest if it promotes proper insulation for your equipment. The container needs to ensure that its user can keep all the gear inside nice and dry, especially during sudden changes in weather.

 

Always Consider Comfort

 

The return of baseball since the 2020 pandemic is a good sign for all enthusiasts around the globe. But, it doesn’t mean that you should buy just any baseball item you can find out of excitement. Otherwise, you might miss one essential factor while shopping for a catchers bag: comfort.

Comfort should be one of the essential factors you should always consider when looking for the right catchers bag. You should always feel comfortable while carrying your equipment in the container, especially if the bag doesn’t have wheels. 

 

Moreover, note that comfort may help prevent a catcher’s decline, particularly when discussing your ability to play the role. This situation happens when your physiological, psychological, and even your emotional abilities as a catcher begin to decline over time. 

 

Carrying the wrong bag might promote the decline since you won’t be comfortable while carrying the equipment-filled container. After all, catchers equipment can be heavy, and lugging various gear can create arm and shoulder discomfort. 

 

If you’re not careful, the stress of carrying heavy baseball equipment can bring unwanted pressure to your mental, physical, and emotional health. Prevent these travesties from happening by ensuring the comfort levels of your chosen bag before finalizing the purchase. 

 

Think About Your Budget

 

Like many other sports, baseball gear can be expensive. With that in mind, buying a baseball bag might not be so different when buying other sports gear. It’s because you should understand that buying high-quality catchers equipment, especially a bag, can put a hole in your budget if you’re not careful. 

 

Exercise caution, vigilance, and patience while shopping for the bag. Don’t give in to the temptation of purchasing a container if the product depletes your spending allowance. Also, be vigilant as some product descriptions might not tell the complete story. Consider looking at different online review sites to check if you’re going to gain excellent value from the bag. 

 

Also, take the time to scour offline and online markets for the right bag if you’re not in a hurry. If done correctly, you can purchase a high-quality container while still having enough money for other essential baseball equipment.

 

Conclusion

 

A baseball catchers bag can be your best friend that carries your equipment in different training sessions and official matches. You need to buy and use a high-quality container to avoid inconveniences, like getting your equipment wet from sudden weather changes. Follow the tips mentioned above, and you’ll soon become the proud owner of a high-quality catchers bag.

 

Ronnie breaks record at Crucible

Ronnie O’Sullivan has broke more records as he recorded a 10-1 win over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in under two hours in the first round of the World Championship at the Crucible.

The Rocket who is 5 time World champion stormed into a 8-1 frame lead after just 82 minutes of the match in the first session on Sunday. He needed just two more frame and he returned to get them on Monday to wrap up a record breaking win and to smash Shauna Murphy’a record of 149 minutes.

Thepchaiya had the chance to prolong the defeat in the second session on Monday but he missed an easy enough red to let O’Sullivan in to make a clearance of 93. He just needed one frame to secure a place in Round 2 against Ding Junhui. O’Sullivan made two further breaks of 41 and 48 in that final frame to secure the win. Speaking after the match O’Sullivan said, “I’m not really bothered by records – I stopped bothering about records when I reached them and they didn’t really give you that buzz for very long”.

O’Sullivan caused controversy last week when he said that players were treated as “lab rats” over the decision to have a limited crowd at the venue. However, he seemed a bit more relaxed around the situation when asked, he said,” I prefer it – I don’t have to deal with the pressure and expectation of the crowd and getting in and out of the venue.”

The World Snooker tour have also announced a new schedule for events as China will not be allowed host any sporting events till 2021. This will mean the Shanghai Masters, the International Championship and World Open will now be played at a later date due to the Covid 19 pandemic. This means that UK tournament and European have been brought forward. The Championship League will be played now across three legs in September and October and will become a ranking event.

The European Masters will now take place in January. The Shoot Out will take place between October 29th and November 1st. This was held in February previously. The Champion of Champions competition will then run from November 2nd to November 8th. All events in the UK will remain as normal apart from the Welsh Open which will take place before the turn of the year. The UK Championship will remain as scheduled with the final on December 8th.

Of course with the pandemic still ongoing the venues have to be confirmed due to the  uncertainty over when spectators will be permitted to return. The Chairman of World Snooker Barry Hearne said, “In recent months there has been uncertainty for all sports in terms of future events, but we have worked alongside all of our partners to find solutions”. “Our players and fans will be thrilled to see that we have a packed schedule for the first half of 2020-21”.

 

Sligo and Waterford postponed due to Covid 19

Tuesdaygame between Sligo Rovers and Waterford FC has been postponed owing to one of the Waterford players displaying symptoms of Covid 19.

The FAI said in a statement, “The player did not train and Waterford FC suspended the training session and the player will now undergo a Covid-19 test,”. They said as a result of a suspected case of Covid 19 the SSE Airtricity League between the two teams has been postponed. The FAI said,” “As a result of this suspected case, the SSE Airtricity League has postponed Tuesday night’s game pending the result of the player’s test”.

The player did not play in Waterford’s last game against Shelbourne, however he did travel with match day squad to the game. The FAI that the FAI medical team “will now review all aspects of this case before making any further decisions.”

Waterford also issued a statement confirming the news. It said, “At 8:45am this morning (Monday, 3 August), a player from our senior team reported to the club doctor with flu-like symptoms and has been sent for testing immediately”. The statement said the results are pending and until they receive these results club training and staff meetings at the club have been stopped. It continued, “Our Covid-19 management team will work in conjunction with the FAI and HSE to ensure that every precaution possible is taken”.

Waterford also confirmed they won’t be travelling to Sligo for the game. In which the statement said, “This may not be a confirmed case and we do not wish to cause any unwanted concern, however, the safety of the players, staff and public are of the utmost importance and for that reason, we will not be traveling to Sligo for our Tuesday fixture”.

The club that they will continue to keep people updated through their social media channels. Waterford restarted the Premier Division with a 1-0 wi over Shelbourne on Saturday last.