Sport – Page 8 – Slugger O'Toole

ODI: Ireland v England

Pete Baker on September 3, 2013, 3:23 pm

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Ireland’s cricketers have set a respectable total of 269 for 7 in their 50 over One Day International at Malahide against an England side captained by Eoin Morgan and featuring former Ireland fast bowler Boyd Rankin. Rankin picked up 4 wickets [for 46 runs] on his England debut, but a captain’s innings of 112 runs from 142 balls by William Porterfield has made this a testing chase for England. As the BBC’s Stephan Shemilt put it Yep, after a bowling and fielding performance …

Tour de France 2013: Le roi est mort!

Pete Baker on July 21, 2013, 5:13 pm

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After finishing second to Bradley Wiggins last year, when some speculated he could have challenged for the victory, Kenyan-born Chris Froome is set to become the second British rider in successive years to win the Tour de France when the peloton crosses the line on a floodlit twilit Avenue des Champs-Élysée later this evening. It’s the 100th edition of Le Tour, which began in 1903. Even if convention didn’t dictate the final stage to be a procession for the maillot jaune, Froome holds a virtually unassailable …

Learning from individual sporting achievement: “Murray has never made an excuse for failure…”

Mick Fealty on July 9, 2013, 5:01 pm

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There was a long time when the US and Australia dominated world tennis. Not any more it seems. One of the new dynamics in individual sport is the internationalisation of sporting champions. This is a great conversation snipped from Newsnight Scotland last night with Alex Massey, Dani Garavelli and Rob Robertson. What could Andy Murray’s win do for or tell us about contemporary Scotland? Or indeed any small nation? Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers …

The Lions Test Team – how were our predictions?

Dewi on June 20, 2013, 5:32 am

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Here’s the team: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales),Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland) Jonathan Davies (Wales), George North (Wales), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales); Alex Corbisiero (England), Tom Youngs (England), Adam Jones (Wales), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O’Connell (Ireland), Tom Croft (England), Sam Warburton (Wales, capt), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland). Subs: Richard Hibbard (Wales), Mako Vunipola (England), Dan Cole (England), Geoff Parling (England), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Ben Youngs (England), Owen Farrell (England), Sean Maitland (Scotland). Astonished at Maitland as sub, very strange. …

Shane gets the Lions roaring..

Dewi on June 16, 2013, 8:35 am

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Here’s my team: 15 Halfpenny – he missed a kick in 2011 and a tackle in 2009….I’ve decided to let him marry my niece. 14, hmmm difficult – I think Kearney…or maybe Shane… 13, Davies – player of the tour so far, 12, O’Driscoll – if he’s fit 11, North – ditto 10, Sexton – looking grown up…well at least compared to Farrell 9. Phillips – superb so far 8. Heaslip 7. Warburton 6, Croft (we have to have a …

Ireland’s Call as you may never have heard it before….

Mick Fealty on June 13, 2013, 2:06 pm

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Don’t you just hate American candour… We never ever get to hear Irish rugby players render Ireland’s Call in their own voices… Check this about here, but don’t say you weren’t warned… (most of the US players had the sense not to try, and those who did were largely drowned out by the crowd..) Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a …

England Football: “What’s so funny ’bout peace, love, understanding (er, and intelligent surrender)?”

Mick Fealty on May 28, 2013, 9:39 am

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Mark Perryman, who runs Philosophy Football has an interesting argument on a latter day tradition at England football matches. In advance of this week’s England v Republic of Ireland at Wembley he notes: For as long as I’ve been a travelling England fan (my first game was Moldova away in 1996), a decent proportion of England fans have used the musical pause after the third line of God Save the Queen to insert “No Surrender” with as much volume and …

A Lions tour – predict the first test team please.

Dewi on May 27, 2013, 6:45 am

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So it was just a bad dream for Rory Best – in the Lions squad…and I reckon a test starter. How about the other 14? Rules are simple. I need the names of the fifteen starters in the first test on June 22nd. 1 point for every correct name. Here’s my guess: 15 Halfpenny 14 Bowe 13 Roberts 12 O’Driscoll 11 North 10 Sexton 9 Phillips 8 Faletau 7 Warburton 6 Lydiate 5 O’Connell 4 AW Jones 3 A Jones 2 …

ODI: Ireland v Pakistan

Pete Baker on May 26, 2013, 4:46 pm

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A four from the last ball of the game by Kevin O’Brien saw Ireland secure a draw in Thursday’s rain affected One-Day International against Pakistan [Duckworth-Lewis applied]. Ireland’s 275 for 5 included 103 runs from 107 balls by Paul “that kid is a freak” Stirling. Going into today’s second ODI in the two game series, Ireland were confident of an upset against the test match playing Pakistan. Put in to bat, Ireland made a defendable 229 for 9. And they’ve picked up some early Pakistan wickets with the …

Matt Baggott on flag protests, Boston tapes, G8 summit, drones & social media

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on April 23, 2013, 9:00 am

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It’s all looking a bit fraught. We need a recovery plan. The words of the Chief Constable Matt Baggott describing the fortunes of his football club rather than the PSNI’s response to the flags crisis. Though the words must echo what went through the PSNI senior officers’ minds when the flags crisis didn’t abate before Christmas. Monday’s post covered PSNI transformation, regulation and vocation. Remember that blogs aren’t newspapers, so not every post has to try to make a news …

The new old firm…

Dewi on April 16, 2013, 9:56 pm

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Right – Cardiff City in the Premiership…looking forward to the South Wales Derby. Seriously – fabulous for the city. DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

Explosions at Boston Marathon Finish Line

Pete Baker on April 15, 2013, 8:48 pm

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The BBC are reporting that there have been two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, three hours after the winners had passed the line. That’s around 5 hours after the race start. Currently the number of people injured is unkown. Live coverage from the BBC here. Adds Guardian live-blog here. Update According to early reports, noted on the Guardian live-blog, 2 people dead and 23 injured after two bombs exploded near the Boston Marathon finish line. And The Guardian notes a holding statement …

The tricolour and its multiple meanings: Open thread

Mick Fealty on April 3, 2013, 11:08 am

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So as promised here’s the follow up to yesterday’s Irish flag thread. So normal rules apply now, you can debate with each other. I’ll open with three concise observations as a starter. There are probably more important themes, but these are just ones that leapt out at me: At the time of writing, the most favourited comment is Keano’s (seven). It’s one I chose as well. It may be a reflection of the fact culturally the idea of a 32 …

Ulster Rugby: Crowning good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea?

Mick Fealty on March 21, 2013, 4:26 pm

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I’m grateful to FJH for alerting me to this year’s winners of the IFA Schools Cup (ERM, MAKE THAT a successful defence of the BELFAST SENIOR CUP). [check your sources boy!! – Ed] Let’s just say it would be a surprise to the class of 78 that the old St Patricks College won anything sporty (scroll down the comments at FJH’s for more detail on that). It’s not that much of a surprise they’re playing decent soccer at my old …

So what went wrong in the first half against Ireland?

Dewi on March 17, 2013, 1:26 am

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Wonderful day…in Cardiff anyway ! DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

Giro d’Italia 2014 announcement expected tomorrow

Pete Baker on February 20, 2013, 3:53 pm

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It looks increasingly likely that confirmation of the rumoured plans to start the 2014 Giro d’Italia in Belfast, before heading to Dublin, will be made tomorrow. As Cycling Weekly reports The Giro d’Italia organiser RCS Sport has a lot on its plate this week, announcing the 2014 start from Belfast tomorrow and dealing with 19 WorldTour teams. The organiser sent an invitation on Friday for the “Official presentation of a new collaboration between RCS Sport and the Island of Ireland.” The presentation will …

Attwood announces a new Windsor Park…

Mick Fealty on February 20, 2013, 12:11 pm

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At £25m, it’s one of the more modest projects, but no doubt none the less welcome for that.. Perhaps the weekend’s evidence of some rapprochement between rival supporters under unreasonable and external sectarian pressure, may herald a better future for NI soccer generally [no sniggering at the back!]. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across …

Malcolm Brodie the magnificent

Brian Walker on February 1, 2013, 4:56 pm

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To a younger generation the spate of tributes to Malcolm Brodie, for a lifetime the sports editor of the Belfast Telegraph, may be a bit of a puzzle. “One of the greats,” a legend “ and so on may not be descriptions that you would easily associate with someone who gloried in the minutiae of Irish League football even in the heyday of Ireland’s Saturday Night. Malcolm pulled it off because he was three things. As a news journalist he was as …

On McIlroy: “Let me rephrase that . . . Can I . . . actually I’ll just repeat the question”

Mick Fealty on January 23, 2013, 2:56 pm

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I’ve little time for the circular arguments that still go on around Rory McIlroy’s sense of his own nationality. For some people, it seems, he is allowed any nationality he wants as long as it is one shade of green or another. But the boy has spoken on the subject. Dion Fanning puts it perfectly: Those who still act as if there is a meaningful debate sound like Alan Partridge when he meets Tony Hayers to discuss a second series. …

Belfast start for 2014 Giro d’Italia? – “Discussions are ongoing”

Pete Baker on January 12, 2013, 6:13 pm

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It could be some time before we get an answer to that question – official confirmation that cycling’s 2013 Giro would start in Naples only came in June last year. But there’s been a flurry of activity following a L’Equipe report last night that sources were confirming that Belfast would host the start of the 2014 Giro d’Italia. As the Guardian reported There are strong indications that in 2014 the United Kingdom will host the Giro d’Italia as well as the Tour de France, which …