Sport – Page 2 – Slugger O'Toole

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Ireland v Zimbabwe

Pete Baker on March 6, 2015, 9:21 pm

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It’s a busy, and potentially significant, night/day for the Group B teams at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. At around 3.30am [GMT] on Saturday Ireland will look to put the heavy defeat to South Africa behind them when they face Zimbabwe, in a rare ODI match-up, at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Australia. And with India having done both teams a favour by, just, holding off the West Indies challenge last night to seal qualification for the quarter-finals, it’s all to play for. Ireland’s cricketers …

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Ireland v South Africa

Pete Baker on March 2, 2015, 7:40 pm

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Ireland, and Surrey, wicketkeeper Gary Wilson sounds positive ahead of tonight’s/tomorrow’s match against South Africa in Canberra in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Given the Proteas’ comprehensive tonking of the West Indies, courtesy of captain AB de Villiers’ supreme batting prowess, that optimism may be misplaced… Meanwhile, CricketIreland talked to Ireland captain William Porterfield, John Mooney, and coach Phil Simmons ahead of the game. When asked about the prospect of facing a player in such great form, John Mooney was keen …

#UCIHourRecord Live

Pete Baker on February 28, 2015, 3:19 pm

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Join celebrity cycling fan Stephen Fry [loving the on screen metrics! – Ed], and others, watching paralympian Sarah Storey attempt the UCI Hour Record live on the UCI YouTube channel. The current record stands at 46.065km, set by Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel of the Netherlands in October 2003 in Mexico City. Storey is in London’s Olympic velodrome, at sea-level. Update Sadly not a UCI Hour Record for Sarah Storey. Distance covered in the hour – 45.502km. A consolation prize of a new British …

Ringland pays tribute to the quiet voices that kept northern society from falling apart…

Mick Fealty on February 27, 2015, 10:40 am

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This has been a recurrent theme in Trevor’s outlook ever since I first got to know him for the research and writing of The Long Peace: Trevor Ringland refused to visit Croke Park for many years because of the ban on members of the security forces playing GAA games, which has since been lifted. Today he visited the ground to address a meeting of British and Irish parliamentarians, which included the DUP and other unionists. “As we look to reconcile …

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Ireland v UAE

Pete Baker on February 25, 2015, 10:24 am

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After a great team performance to overhaul the West Indies in their opening game, earlier this morning Ireland faced fellow associates United Arab Emirates in a confident mood. Winning the toss, Ireland put UAE into bat. That confidence took a knock when UAE set a total of 278 for 9 from their 50 overs, with Shaiman Anwar hitting 106 runs from 83 balls. Ireland needing 279 to win. Worse was to come when Paul Stirling’s wicket fell for 3 runs from 9 balls. Ireland …

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Ireland v West Indies

Pete Baker on February 15, 2015, 11:58 pm

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Ireland’s cricketers are opening their account in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Nelson, New Zealand, against the West Indies tonight. There were optimistic noises from the Ireland camp in advance of the game. And they might not be misplaced. At time of writing, having won the toss and deciding to field, Ireland have restricted the West Indies to 120 for 5 from 32 overs. Spinner George Dockrell has already snaffled the key wickets of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels. You can follow the match via the BBC …

There Is No Alternative! (to Casement Park development plan) – Redux

Pete Baker on December 15, 2014, 4:30 pm

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Belfast High Court has ruled that the decision to grant planning permission for the controversial £70million redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast was “fundamentally flawed”. However, Mr Justice Horner did not quash the decision, and will take further submissions from lawyers for the Department of the Environment, the GAA and the residents group who mounted the legal challenge before ruling on what the alternative actually is. From the Irish Times report The overall bill for the redevelopment in west Belfast has now risen …

There Is No Alternative! (to Casement Park development plan)

Pete Baker on September 29, 2014, 11:13 pm

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A fairly desperate argument from lawyers for the Northern Ireland Planning Service in Belfast High Court today, during the judicial review of the planned £70million redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast. As the BBC reports The judge heard that DCAL have contributed £62.5m of the £77m cost of rebuilding the stadium as part of a project involving the development of Windsor Park football stadium and Ravenhill rugby ground. A Planning Service lawyer said that if the funds are not spent in time, …

Ireland v Scotland – 3rd ODI Live

Pete Baker on September 12, 2014, 3:02 pm

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With Ireland’s cricketers having already won the first two games in the three match ODI series against Scotland, the Scots are only playing for pride today at Malahide. They’re chasing a total of 242 to win after John Mooney made 96 runs from 77 balls to put Ireland on 241-9 from their 50 overs in the first innings. Live coverage via CricketIrelandTV on YouTube. Pete Baker

Ireland v Scotland – 2nd ODI Live

Pete Baker on September 10, 2014, 3:56 pm

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After a convincing victory in the first game of the three match ODI series against Scotland, Ireland’s cricketers are chasing a total of 222 in the second game for a series win at Malahide. Scotland were put in to bat and made 221 all out from 49.5 overs. Live coverage via CricketIrelandTV on YouTube. Update Ireland win by 3 wickets. 225 for 7 from 44.2 overs. Pete Baker

Pink is the colour, not orange or green

Brian Walker on May 10, 2014, 11:28 am

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I plead guilty. The question buried somewhere in earlier comments strikes home: “Why do you keep banging on about Gerry Adams so much when the Giro is on? “ Now I could give an apples and pears answer, the two being in different categories. But the question is better than the reply.In the week of the Adams interrogation the Editor the Belfast Telegraph was moved to display his cool in …

ICC T20 World Cup 2014: Ireland v Netherlands

Pete Baker on March 21, 2014, 9:00 am

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With two wins in their opening two games of the ICC World Twenty20 2014, Ireland are two points clear at the top of Group B with one game left. A win against the Netherlands this morning will see them comfortably through to the Super 10 stage. A loss will open the door to both the Netherlands and Zimbabwe – who easily overhauled UAE earlier today – to top the final group standings on Net Run Rate. There can be only one… Tournament hosts Bangladesh have already progressed to the …

ICC T20 World Cup 2014: Ireland v UAE

Pete Baker on March 19, 2014, 1:35 pm

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Having secured a nervy win against Zimbabwe in their opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 2014 campaign in Bangladesh, Ireland’s cricketers face tournament newbies United Arab Emirates today. With Zimbabwe overcoming the Netherlands earlier this morning, with a six off the final ball, a win would put Ireland top of the group, two points clear with only one game left – against the Netherlands on 21st March. After the opening round of games, the top team in each of the two qualifier groups …

ICC T20 World Cup 2014: Ireland v Zimbabwe

Pete Baker on March 17, 2014, 2:32 pm

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Ireland’s cricketers have opened their ICC World Twenty20 2014 campaign in Bangladesh with a win over the nominal test-playing Zimbabwe. But it nearly didn’t happen. Batting first, Zimbabwe set a daunting total of 163 for 5 wickets from their 20 overs. As the ICC match report noted, Ireland had never scored more than 156 to win a T20 International. But it could have been worse. Needing 164 runs to win, Stirling and Porterfield set about the Zimbabwe bowlers to make an opening …

Sochi Olympic success

Pete Baker on February 23, 2014, 6:31 pm

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Heh. Some wonderfully humorous choreography in evidence at the Sochi 2014: Winter Olympics closing ceremony. It made me laugh out loud. They wouldn’t have had long to arrange it… [Photograph: Barbara Walton/EPA] As the Guardian live-blog adds, For anyone who slept through the opening ceremony, here’s a reminder of the failed snowflake-ring, and its tongue-in-cheek recreation this evening. Performers sing as the Olympic rings are presented during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics. Photograph: Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images Performers …

“Residents also protested outside the local Sinn Féin offices…”

Pete Baker on January 26, 2014, 5:03 pm

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As the BBC reports, local residents have continued their protest against the planned £70million redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast. From the UTV report Around 100 residents took part in a demonstration on Saturday afternoon. They say they are now considering taking legal action. One woman said: “The main thing is the height of it, it’s going to be about 129ft and right around the whole outskirts of the houses.” A man said: “It’s an absolute monstrosity. The residents …

GAA: “We’ve tried now for the last 16 months to build a level of consensus around the stadium project…”

Pete Baker on November 19, 2013, 6:17 pm

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The GAA appears to be facing some more local opposition to the £70million plan to build a 38,000-seat stadium at its existing sports ground in Casement Park. [Pending planning permission… – Ed] From the BBC report About 200 people attended the residents meeting [on Monday 18 November], at which some said that the proposed new stadium must be stopped. One resident told the meeting: “We’re not opposed to a development of the GAA in this city but we need it to …

Giro d’Italia 2014: “It’s a lot more than a cycling race”

Pete Baker on October 8, 2013, 3:17 pm

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When the BBC leaked the proposed route of the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia 2014 last week it was greeted by ritual wailing and gnashing of teeth by various representatives of the ‘excluded’ west Belfast. And with the whingeing out of the way, the official announcement was able to be welcomed with more decorum by the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers, as well as the Tourism Minister and the Minister for Regional Development. [And the NI Minister with responsibility …

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 …