Girls fly the green and gold flag in Milan

The Kerry U15 girls squad recently headed off to Italy to take part in the prestigious Yes Cup Tournament in Milan.

The girls, who were accompanied by manager Natasha O’Sullivan, U14 manager Siobhán Cushen, and coaches Caragh and Aisling Kelly, played four matches over three days in the Pero Sporting Centre. They came up against three professional or semi-professional Italian teams, namely ProSesto, Como Women and Inter Milan. The ties against ProSesto and Como Women ended in 1-1 draws (both Kerry goals were scored by Jocelyn Cushen of Park) and Kerry were defeated 2-0 by Inter Milan, the eventual champions.

Kerry then met Swiss side Ticino in the 5th/6th place playoff. The girls fought a tremendous physical battle but there was no joy at the final whistle. Never- theless their performances were very impressive throughout, especially considering the high standard of opposition. The Kerry players enjoyed a wonderful Saturday afternoon as they visited Milan Cathedral and enjoyed a parade around the streets. As the only Irish team in the 120 team entrants, they sang the Irish national anthem with pride while waving their Kerry and Ireland flags. They even had time to spare for a bit of shopping afterwards.

All 18 girls togged out and played a massive part in what was a very well organised tournament. They did themselves, their families, clubs, county and country proud.

Around The World

| LeBron leads Lakers to the playoffs

It may be his 20th year in the NBA but LeBron James still has that X-factor. The decorated veteran had a big night as he carried the Los Angeles Lakers through to the NBA playoffs following a 108-102 overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In match.

The 38-year-old posted 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the Lakers’ dramatic comeback win.

Towards the end of a rollercoaster encounter, Minnesota had a six-minute drought which allowed the Lakers to take the lead with just 1.4 seconds left on the clock. The drama wasn’t finished yet, however. Mike Conley was fouled in the act of shooting by Anthony Davis with 0.1 seconds remaining and Conley held his nerve to drain all three free throws and force OT.

With James to the fore, the Lakers eventually came out on top to set up an appetising match-up with Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 1 of the playoffs.

| Bruins break NHL record for most wins

The Boston Bruins made National Hockey League history Sunday night when they secured a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The win at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center was the Bruins’ 63rd of the sea- son, breaking the NHL record for most wins in a single season.

On Saturday, the Bruins tied the 19951996 Detroit Red Wings and the 20182019 Tampa Bay Lightning for most wins after capturing their 62nd win. Their record now stands at 63-12-5 for the season. They have clinched the President’s Trophy and home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

| Foster saves the day for Wrexham

Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds says he will “never be the same again” after watching Wrexham AFC take a huge step towards promotion in dramatic fashion on Monday.

Reynolds watched from the stands with co-owner Rob McElhenney as the Welsh club beat National League title rivals Notts County 3-2 in a match billed as the biggest in the league’s history. It was a chaotic encounter between two clubs fighting for promotion and culminated in Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster saving a penalty in the last minute to ensure the Welsh club sealed a victory which moved it three points ahead of second-placed County at the top of the league having played one game fewer. Wrexham has four games of the regular season remaining to secure automatic promotion to the Football League. Only the league champion will be automatically promoted, with second place having to navigate a tricky playoff.

Sports On Tv This Weekend

FRIDAY, APRIL 14

SOCCER RTÉ 2 8pm Shamrock Rovers v Shelbourne

SATURDAY, APRIL 15

SOCCER BT Sport 1 12.30pm Aston Villa v Newcastle

GOLF Sky Sports Golf 1.30pm RBC Heritage

HORSE RACING Virgin Media One 2pm Aintree

LGFA TG4 5pm Kerry v Galway

SOCCER Premier Sports 1 3pm Chelsea v Brighton

SQUASH BT Sport 4 3pm British Open

RUGBY RTÉ 2 3pm Lions v Leinster & Stormers v Munster

RUGBY Virgin Media Two 4.45pm Italy Women v Ireland Women

GAA BBC 2 5pm Fermanagh v Derry

SOCCER BBC 2 5.15pm Man Utd Women v Brighton Women

BOXING BT Sport 7pm Joe Joyce v Zhilei Zhang

SOCCER TG4 7.35pm Wexford Youths Women v Athlone Town Women

RUGBY RTÉ 2 7.35pm Connacht v Cardiff

SUNDAY, APRIL 16

SOCCER Sky Sports Football 12 noon Kilmarnock v Celtic

CYCLING Eurosport 1 12 noon Amstel Gold Race

GOLF Sky Sports Golf 1.30pm RBC Heritage

CAMOGIE RTÉ 2 12 noon Kerry v Meath

LGFA TG4 YouTube 2pm Division 4 & Division 3 finals

GAA RTÉ 2 4pm Tyrone v Monaghan

MOTOGP BT Sport 2 7.30pm Austin GP of the Americas

GAA RTÉ 2 9.30pm League Sunday