SPORTS DIGEST:CRICKET: Minister for Sport, Leo Varadkar, has backed the efforts of Cricket Ireland in their bid to overturn the International Cricket Council's decision to restrict the 2015 World Cup to just the 10 Test-playing nations, writes Emmet Riordan.
Speaking at a function at Farmleigh in Dublin yesterday to mark the outstanding performances of Ireland at the recent World Cup, Varadkar stressed the idea of inclusiveness of a game he played in his youth.
“It is difficult to see how the best interests of the game can be served by not allowing countries such as Ireland a chance to compete at the highest level,” said Varadkar.
“This ‘closed shop’ approach cannot be good for the game, and appears to fly in the face of the sacred values that cricket has espoused for so long.”
Clancy in charge of World Cup opener
RUGBY:Munster's George Clancy will make his debut in this year's Rugby World Cup in the opening match of the 48-game tournament. The Limerick referee will take charge of New Zealand's opening game against Tonga in Eden Park on September 9th.
A panel of 10 referees, supported by seven dedicated assistant referees and four Television Match Officials (TMOs) will officiate throughout the competition.
In addition to Clancy, former Irish scrumhalf and RWC 2007 referee, Alain Rolland, is included along with England’s Dave Pearson and Wayne Barnes, France’s Romain Poite, New Zealand’s Bryce Lawrence, Nigel Owens from Wales, Australia’s Steve Walsh and South Africa’s Craig Joubert and Jonathan Kaplan, who was at the centre of the Mike Phillips try controversy in this year’s Six Nations Championship match between Ireland and Wales. Ireland’s Simon McDowell is among the assistant referees.
Earley and Kildare rocked by another body blow
GAELIC GAMES:Kildare have been rocked by the news that star midfielder Dermot Earley has been ruled out for the entire season after rupturing his newly-repaired cruciate ligament again.
Earley had been making good progress after having an operation to address a torn cruciate last October and was targeting a return to action in July but must now have his knee scoped to determine the extent of the injury before having another operation and restarting the rehabilitation process.
The 32-year-old jarred his knee in training and a scan that had been scheduled to monitor his progress revealed the ligament had been ruptured once more.
Speculation is sure to centre around Earley’s future at intercounty level, just as it did last year, when the injury suffered in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Meath ended his campaign.
Irish trio claim gold medals in Poland
BOXING:Ireland fired a warning shot across the bows of the rest of the Continent ahead of June's European Championships in Turkey with three gold medals at the Feliks Stamm Multi-Nations in Poland.
Seventeen-year-old World Youth champ Joe Ward – after just his sixth Senior bout – European silver medalist Darren O’Neill and World bronze medalist John Joe Nevin all finished on top of the podium in Warsaw. The haul will almost certainly see Ireland finish in a top -two position in the medals table at the 16-nation tournament. Tipperary heavyweight Con Sheehan lost out 11-7 to Turkey’s Bahran Muzaffer in the 91Kg class.
