Ireland have their best-ever chance of lifting the world women’s team title for the Espirito Santo Trophy in Turkey in September following the team selection.
The Irish selectors have gone for the talented Slieve Russell teenage twin sisters Leona and Lisa Maguire and the newly-crowned British Ladies champion Stephanie Meadow.
The world championships are a 72-hole strokeplay affair with two of the three cards counting each day.
Korea are the defending champions when the event visits the Grove Club at Antalya in Turkey from September 27th-30th.
Ireland finished joint 11th at the 2010 contest with the Maguires and Danielle McVeigh making up the team.
Ireland go in search of ranking points against Bangladesh
IRELAND ARE set to play their 800th international match in the first of the three-match RSA Twenty20 series against Bangladesh at Stormont today where the battle for ICC ranking points is sure to add to the highly competitive games between these sides in recent times.
Phil Simmons’s side are currently ninth in the table and need a 3-0 whitewash to move within two points of the West Indies, while Bangladesh’s motivation in a clean-sweep is the fact that they would debut in fourth position on the table.
Bangladesh have arrived with a strong squad and won both of their warm-up games, while Ireland have included their county-based contingent as they continue preparations for September’s World T20 finals in Sri Lanka.
The one exception for the opening encounter is left-arm spinner George Dockrell, with Simmons allowing the Somerset player to captain the Ireland under-19 side against England in Leicester as they ramp up their preparations ahead of next month’s World Cup in Australia.
Boyd Rankin is back in the Ireland panel after recovering from a stress fracture in his right foot, while John Mooney is confident of playing after dislocating his thumb against Afghanistan last week.
IRELAND (squad): William Porterfield (Warwickshire, capt), Alex Cusack (Clontarf), Trent Johnston (YMCA), Ed Joyce (Sussex), John Mooney (North County), Tim Murtagh (Middlesex), Kevin O'Brien (Railway Union/Somerset), Niall O'Brien (Northants), Andrew Poynter (Clontarf), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire), Max Sorensen (The Hills), Paul Stirling (Middlesex), Andrew White (Instonians), Gary Wilson (Surrey). – EMMET RIORDAN
Khan to review Roach relationship
Amir Khan is to assess his relationship with trainer Freddie Roach after his defeat to Danny Garcia.
The 25-year-old was knocked out for the second time in his career when he was stopped in the fourth round in Las Vegas by underdog Garcia after being floored three times in the WBA and WBC light-welterweight unification fight.
Khan outlined his determination to reclaim both titles but will review his relationship with Roach, admitting he is tired of constantly being number two to Manny Pacquiao, who the American also trains.
“I want someone who is with me all the way through, like my conditioner Ruben Tabares is,” Khan said: “It’s hard when you’re with Manny and have to be the number two.
“Every fight is a big fight for me, I’m fighting top-10 guys and so I need the best guys with me all the way through.
“Now is the best time to sort these things out and my team will talk things over with Freddie.”
Olympic Stadium may host Grand Prix
Plans for a Formula One circuit in and around the Olympic Stadium are officially now under consideration. The scheme is one of four being reviewed by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) who are charged with the task of finding a suitable use for the venue.
Intelligent Transport Solutions Ltd have already held preliminary talks with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone with regard to using the stadium as a circuit. Any potential race would form a second British round of the world championship to run alongside the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Ecclestone has tentatively given his blessing, stating a month ago ITS Ltd are a firm “bidding for use of the stadium, not to own it.”
Ecclestone added: “They came up with a scheme whereby Formula One would race around the stadium, inside it, outside it. They wanted to make sure I would be interested.”
It is understood, however, Ecclestone will not throw his full weight behind the plan unless ITS Ltd win the bidding process. ITS Ltd face particularly strong competition from the football clubs West Ham and Leyton Orient, who have both bid to use the stadium.
