Regan racks up lucky number as hurlers come home with a win
Sharpshooter Jack Regan hit 13 points as Meath exited St Conleth’s Park with two points to begin their NHL Div. 2A campaign on Sunday.
In a textbook game of two halves, Nick Weir’s charges led by 0-13 to 0-05 at the break before withstanding a predictable Kildare revival. During which the all whites outscored our lads by 0-10 to 0-05.
The teams in this division meet with such regularity that they could clash again tomorrow and there may be a different result so the visitors will be happy to have negotiated this tricky assignment successfully.
Ladies make light of strong Ashbourne winds
The Royal County’s camogie ladies also got their campaign off to a winning start with having three points to spare (3-08 to 3-05) over Derry at a windswept Ashbourne.
Aine McNerney top scored with 2-2 while Ratoath’s Amy Gaffney also impressed in attack. The girls will be away to Wexford in their next outing on February 19th.
Fixtures Farce
Firstly, this column would like to offer sincere commiserations to the Trim footballers following their unfortunate defeat against an extremely strong Steelstown team in Croke Park.
It is often said you never see a bookmaker on a bicycle, and, sadly from a Trim perspective they were on the money again in having the Derry champions 4/11 favourites before the off. However, Kevin Reilly’s charges can be extremely proud of the way in which they represented their town, county and province in recent months.
However, a group who have no reason to be proud after last weekend are whatever wisecracks came up with that fixture schedule. Having three county teams – hurling, football and camogie – in action basically at the same time as clubs representing said counties are in All Ireland Finals is not only stupid it’s an insulting farce.
You’ll note, though, that the club hurling games fixed for last weekend took place on Saturday which, with the exception of the Cork v. Clare match, was the day before the National League kicked off in the small ball code. Common sense prevailed there. The problem is that common sense is, in fact, not that common.
RED DEVILS SLIDE FURTHER INTO HELL
It was said at one stage years ago that it was harder to get off the Meath team than to get on it. A similar train of thought could be applied to Manchester United at the minute. Anthony Martial was obviously identified as the fall guy for all their ineptitudes and summarily shipped off to Spain. Where, by all accounts, his maiden outing for his new employers went down like a led balloon, with the lazy Frenchman hauled off after 76 minutes.
With him offloaded from the books and Jesse Lingard seemingly wanting away, you wonder what the other languid, lacklustre lump of laziness, Mr Pogba, has to do – or not do – to be shown the door. Apart from the fact he was, more less, AWOL for a period, when he is on the pitch, he looks about as interested as Jamie Bryson would be in a GAA match. His fine strike this evening against Burnley notwithstanding. Indeed, the major frustration with the enigmatic French star – he
However, that is only a sample tasting of the problems currently engulfing the Old Trafford club. Chief among which has to be the position of the manager. To me, the idea of an interim manager is a cop out, a waste of time and makes dead rubbers out of whatever matches are played under the caretaker.
But then, the manager-hiring policy since Sir Alex Ferguson left has been farcical. David Moyes was grossly out of his depth, Louis Van Gaal was treated disgracefully by the club, ditto Jose Mourinho in a different way. The Special One after all had won three trophies in his time at the club.
At this stage, why not give Ralf the job on a full time basis. Getting somebody else is not only unwieldy it’s risky. Especially if, as seems likely, they don’t qualify for Europe, they mightn’t be that much of an attractive proposition for perspective employees.
Blue and white the colours of success
There are certain sports which sporadically grab our attention. Tennis during Wimbledon, Snooker when the World Championship rolls into Sheffield, or, the most relevant example in this case, the golfer in all of us teeing it up when the US Masters appears on the horizon.
This year, however, our attention has been drawn from tee to green much earlier than usual. As two different corners of the country swelled with pride owing to the exploits of their local heroes. In both cases, blue and white being the colours of success.
Waterford’s Seamus Power deserves the utmost commendation for the start he has made to the current PGA Tour season. The former Olympian just about held on to his Tour Card a while back, but has already bagged a considerable wad of prize money having competed well in two Tour events to date. Gut feeling is another breakthrough of sorts may not be far away for Power.
If wanting to talk about breakthroughs however, there’s only one place we can start this week. With Leona Maguire’s breaking of new ground by becoming the first Irish winner on the LPGA Tour.
There are two things you can be sure of – it won’t be long til she does it again. Or, for that matter, until someone follows her lead.
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