Irish Hockey on the Rise
Fresh from success in the Capital Grants scheme, Irish Hockey ended a 12 year wait for victory over England when the Senior Men’s International team scored a 2-1 win at Belfield on Saturday. Having come so close to Olympic Qualification in 2012, hopes are high that this win over the World Number 5, the first on home soil for 65 years, will be a big boost to the sport at its highest level. The Men’s senior team is currently without an overall commercial partner but it is hoped this win will increase commercial interest in potential sponsorship of the group.
G-Mac Scores in France
Graham McDowell retained his French Open title and Michael Hoey’s Top 10 finish also meant he qualifies for the Open Championship in two weeks time. This means there will be seven Irish players lining up at Hoylake. McDowell led the field when it was last played there and the weekend win will be a great boost for his confidence. Padriag Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Darren Clarke and amateur Paul Dunne are the other 5 who will take to the fairways.
The Draw of Gaelic Games
A drawn game in the GAA used to be a thing of rarity. Not so any more. Clare and Wexford’s blistering qualifier on Saturday evening went the distance and they could not be separated so will have to go again in Wexford next weekend. Galway and Kilkenny had to face each other twice earlier this year while Dublin needed two bites to get past Wexford and Kilkenny in 2013. Two All Ireland Finals have gone to replays in the last three years. Close games always live long in the memory and sponsors will be delighted at the additional exposure the replays give them.
Marching Season in Omagh
Armagh’s defeat to Monaghan in the Ulster Football Championship means they will now play Tyrone in Omagh in the Qualifiers. As a game it would be one to whet the appetite and give rise to great passion. The date fixed for the game though adds to the sense that this could be a fraught occasion. It will take place next weekend, hopefully on Saturday as Sunday will see tense of thousands of marchers for the annual 12th of July Parade of the Loyal Orange Order through the streets of the town.
Athlone Hailed a Great Success
It was a big weekend for Triathlon and nowhere more so than in Athlone where over 1,000 competitors gathered for the Waterways Ireland and Athlone Institute of Technology sponsored TriAthlone races. The Parathriathlon races were one of many highlights with Paralympian Cyclist Catherine Walsh landing the Women’s race in the visually impaired category.
