Sport

ICC World Cup 2011: Quarter-finals

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The dust has settled on the final games of the opening stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 –  Zimbabwe defeated Kenya by 161 runs and the West Indies collapsed against India when in a commanding position. The group tables are now complete and the line-up for the knock-out quarter-final stage is as follows. 23 March Pakistan v West Indies, first quarter-final, Mirpur (d/n) Play starts 0830 GMT 24 March India v Australia, second quarter-final, Ahmedabad (d/n) Play starts 0900 GMT 25 March South …

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ICC World Cup 2011: Ireland v Netherlands

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Ireland’s final game in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is underway.  Ireland won the toss and decided to field.  The Netherlands have set a big total for Ireland to chase with ten Doeschate making 106 run from 108 balls.  ESPNCricinfo over-by-over commentary. Netherlands 306 all out from 50 overs. Target 307.  Ireland innings Porterfield c Buurman b Cooper 68 (93 b 10×4 0x6) FoW 177 for 1 from 27 overs Stirling c Kervezee b Seelaar 101 (72 b 14×4 2×6) FoW …

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ICC World Cup 2011: Ireland V South Africa

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A must win game for Ireland today against South Africa if they are to have any chance of making it through to the knock-out stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. You can pick up the live radio coverage here, along with the BBC over-by-over text commentary.  RTÉ coverage here. ESPNCricinfo commentary and scorecard here. Ireland won the toss and decided to field. And a good start for Ireland. South Africa innings Amla c Dockrell b Rankin for18 (17b …

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“If the Executive took a needs based approach rather than a politically expedient route…”

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As BBC NI political editor Mark Devenport says of the announced Northern Ireland Executive approval of a “package of circa £138million [to] be used to upgrade regional stadiums at Windsor Park, Ravenhill and Casement Park, and take forward sub regional stadium developments for football.” …one aspect of the announcement which is questionable is its very symmetry. If the Executive took a needs based approach rather than a politically expedient route, would both the GAA and Soccer require exactly £61.4 million? I know …

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ICC World Cup 2011: West Indies V Ireland

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An important match for Ireland tomorrow, if they’re to progress to the next stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.  They face the West Indies in Mohali.  It’s a day match so the starting time here is around 4am.  Don’t expect live-blogging… RTÉ’s preview focuses on the West Indies coach Ottis Gibson’s approach to the game, whilst the BBC seeks the view of Ireland’s coach, former West Indies player, Phil Simmons. As ESPNCricinfo’s preview notes In a keenly-contested Group where the …

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ICC World Cup 2011: India V Ireland

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After Ireland’s stunning win over England on Wednesday, today they face India at Bangalore in their third match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.  India won the toss and decided to field.  BBC scorecard here.  ESPNCricinfo over-by-over text commentary and scorecard. Ireland currently 165 for 6 from 39 overs. Stirling bowled Khan for 0 from 1 ball. FoW 1 for 1 from 0.4 overs Joyce caught Dhoni bowled Khan 4 from 5 balls.  FoW  9 for 2 from 2.3 …

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“They can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Terrific Ireland.”

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Whether you’re gloating or, like Alan, you somehow missed my ‘excited’ live-blogging of the match [*ahem* – Ed] enjoy the highlights from the final 17 overs of Ireland’s historic win over England in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Group B match yesterday. [While you can… – Ed] As the Guardian’s Kevin Mitchell says What happened in a half-filled Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday was not just the finest day in the history of Irish cricket. It was, certainly, a result and a …

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ICC World Cup 2011: England V Ireland

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The Ireland cricket team look set to face a daunting total in their second game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in Bangalore.  England won the toss and elected to bat.  Currently they’re on 211 for 2 with 15 overs left to bat. You can pick up the Test Match Special radio coverage here.  ESPNCricinfo scorecard and over-by-over text commentary.  Or the Guardian’s version here. England 327 for 8 from 50 overs.  Ireland did well to restrict England to 327 in the …

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ICC World Cup 2011: Bangladesh V Ireland

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The Ireland cricket team open their ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 tournament today against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Bangladesh. Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat. Concern about the Bangladeshi openers may have been justified, but a discplined Ireland managed to bowl them all out for 205 runs, in 49.2 of the 50 overs. Ed Joyce will be hoping for a successful return to the Ireland side in the innings to come. Bangladesh 205 all …

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“It is pure frustration that for five years we have been led along with a bit of string.”

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As Gonzo noted back in December IF this contrite statement is anything to go by, DUP Sports Minster Nelson McCausland must have hauled Sport NI chief executive Eamonn McCartan over the coals for listing off on TV reasons why we weren’t attracting Olympic interest. McCartan told the BBC that no Olympic teams had committed to train here for the 2012 Games due to our violent image, the threat from dissidents, geographical location, travel costs and access to Olympics venues. But …

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When two (Celtic) tribes go to war

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The good relations that traditionally mark Irish-Welsh relations will be under strain this weekend as the homespun-talk-themselves-down Munster take on the brash-talk-themselves-up Ospreys in Saturdays crucial (rugby) Heineken Cup match. Relations have been poor for a number of years since the Ospreys counter-cited Munster player Marcus Horan for racially abusing one of their players – a charge Munster angrily suggested was simply made up. Encounters between the teams are usually fiery and in keeping with this tradition, last weekend Munster’s …

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Graeme McDowell for Sports Personality of the Year

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Great news for a freezing Monday morning!  Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat from   the faltering Tiger is just the right move to boost the Portrush boy’s chances in BBC Sports Personality of the Year. (He made  it to captain of Golf at my old school, you know). Brian WalkerFormer BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; former …

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Come off it England!

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Yet again the messenger is blamed for the message. Fuelled by that strange English sense of entitlement, the English bidding team have descended to blaming Panorama and the Sunday Times for what their media supporters oddly call their “humiliation”. If FIFA are corrupt and it was the Beeb wot lost it, where’s the humiliation? If humiliation there was, Jim White is right. It lay in the fact that the English spinners swallowed their own propaganda. Another version is at least …

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Autumn Internationals

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Has anyone else a bad feeling about these?

Here’s the fixtures:

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Croeso i Montgomerieshire…

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Things hotting up nicely for the weekend. Catherine and Katherine introduced golfers, wives and 13,000 others to Welsh song at a gala last night. Tiger has been here before – not sure he enjoyed it much though… – Nice quote from his caddie for that week in 1995, when beset by food poisoning he tried to help him out – “In fairness to Woods, Griffiths reveals he saw the illness close up. “He was pretty rough and I gave him a …

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Owen Paterson: “It was a huge pleasure to be part of this great sporting occasion”

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Worth noting that yesterday Conservative MP, Owen Paterson, became the first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to attend the All-Ireland Senior Football Final at Croke Park. After the match between Down and Cork, Mr Paterson said: “It was a huge pleasure to be part of this great sporting occasion. “I really appreciated the warm welcome extended to me and Julian King, the British Ambassador to Ireland, from GAA officials and fans. “It shows, once again, how relations between the …

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Ulster the “Man City” of the Magners…

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Hmm – Mr Humphreys -“We believe we’ve recruited very well this year and I believe this is the best Ulster squad that’s been assembled.” – that’s confidence for you.

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2010 Tour de France’s defining moment

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Obviously different people have different ideas about what a “decent spectator sport looks like…” But if, like me, you’ve been following this year’s Tour de France you’ll no doubt agree with Steve Wilson’s praise for ITV4’s excellent coverage. It’s been eventful too, and not just for being seven-times Tour winner Lance Armstrong’s final hurrah.  From the prologue in Rotterdam across the cobblestones of Belgium and northern France, and over the punishing peaks of the Pyrénées this year’s course has seen plenty of action. If all goes to …

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World Cups and Solar Eclipses

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As the crowds gather in Johannesburg for the FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and the Netherlands an estimated 4000 umbraphiles are hoping for clear skies over Easter Island – and no vuvuzelas. They’ve travelled there to be able to observe 4 min 41 secs of the total solar eclipse of July 11, 2010, which is due to occur at the same time that 22 men are chasing after a very round ball on a large patch of grass…  9.11pm BST start for the Easter Island hopefuls. In the New …

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