User:rorynoonanDate:13/04/2013Time:08:31:16Edition:13/04/2013Satsatecho130413Page:56Color:
Evening Echo
SPORT
EE - V1
Inside today
Sailing ....................... P35 Ladies GAA ......... P36, 37 Bord na nÓg ....... P38, 39 Camogie .................... P40
Racing ................. P42-45 Roadbowling ............. P46 Ladies soccer ........... P47 Basketball ................. P48
Rugby ................................... P49 Football ................................ P50 Greyhound results ............... P52 L of Ireland soccer................ P53
Kalen Spillane will form part of a young centre-back partnership with Gary Buckley this afternoon against Sligo.
Avondale players celebrate their Keane Cup win last night at Turner’s Cross. Picture: Eddie O’Hare
Avondale win cup in dramatic fashion
College Corinthians Avondale United (after extra time)
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AVONDALE UNITED won the Keane Cup in dramatic
KEANE CUP FINAL fashion last night at Turner’s Cross. They overcame College Corinthians in dramatic circumstances in a game that
saw five goals, three red cards and two penalties. Danny Long proved to be an inspired substitution for the winners when his late strike sealed his side’s win ● See P52.
O’Loughlin: Future bleak for losers
GER O’LOUGHLIN has painted a bleak picture for the side that loses By PETER McNAMARA the Allianz Division 1A relegation play-off between Cork and Clare not get out of the division at the moment. tomorrow.
Battle of the kicking kings will be a cracker
The Sparrow, an All-Star in his playing days with the Banner, uses Limerick as the prime example of how tough operating in Division 1B is, a prospect Rebels all over the county would fear. O’Loughlin successfully managed Adare to county title triumphs, but throughout his time working with the club he could see the knock-on effect of the Treatymen competing in the second tier had. “Having had the experience of working down in Limerick for a couple of years you can easily see that having a team in Division 1B just dampens the whole outlook of everybody. “People get totally mystified by hurling down in Limerick at times, because they feel they have a team good enough to compete yet they just can-
TONIGHT’S battle of the Ians at Thomond Park promises to be a cracker when the sides face each other in the Rabo Direct Pro 12 game, 6.30pm RTE2, ZULWHV 6($1 0F&$57+< Munster’s Ian Keatley will come up against Leinster’s Ian Madigan, after Leinster decided to give Jonny Sexton an extra week’s rest, and that will certainly make for a cracking contest with both Ians in line for a place on the Ireland squad that will tour America in the summer. Both number 10s like to attack the gain line and that should make for a high-intensity game. Keatley is just one of four changes that Munster have made from the side that started against Harlequins last Sunday as coach Rob Penney tries to balance the need for a competitive side with the need to keep players on the fringe fresh and to ensure those who have had a lot of game time some bit of a rest. Keatley is the only change in the
GAA
“Limerick, a team like Cork and Clare in the development phase, will be playing in front of crowds of 200 or 300 people, winning handy but going nowhere. “Hurling will fall down on its knees shortly if the powers that be don’t watch it, because we cannot afford to lose strong counties in the game. I think myself in 2014 the format is something they will have to look at again,” O’Loughlin, current Newtown boss, suggested. However, O’Loughlin gave Cork a tentative vote to win tomorrow and avoid having to contend with the issues associated with competing in Division 1B. “If Cork come and play to their full potential I would give them the nod over Clare,” he added. ● See P50-51.
RUGBY backline. That means that Munster fans get to see Simon Zebo in action again as he bids to get back to full match fitness and try and claim a late spot in the Lions touring party. The other changes are all up front. Donncha O’Callaghan comes back to partner Paul O’Connell in the second row and Penney will be hoping that they have a repeat performance of their Connacht game. In the front row the battle for the hooker’s jersey goes on unabated between Damien Varley and Mike Sherry. Varley gets the nod for this evening’s game and he will go head to head with Ireland’s second choice hooker for the Six Nations Sean Cronin, while waiting in the wings for either Varley or Sherry will be naturalised Ireland player Richardt Strauss. ● See P49.
Injuries force City to start with young centre-backs SOCCER CORK City are forced to field a new look and young centre-back pairing when they take on the champions and league leaders, Sligo Rovers in this afternoon’s tv clash at the Show grounds (3.55pm), writes NOEL SPILLANE. Manager Tommy Dunne has got to put his faith in Kalen Spillane and Gary Buckley to put the shackles on the league’s top scorer, Anthony Elding, nine goals in eight games, with the Murrays, Kevin and Dan ruled out and Darren Dennehy serving an additional one match ban. It’s a tough ask for a City team that put an end to a run of three games without a win thanks to Shane Duggan’s late winner against UCD. “Obviously, Sligo will be tough opponents for us today. You don’t really get much tougher than a trip to Sligo. It’s a major test, but it is a good place to go and the pitch is in relatively good condition and that makes a change for us,” said Dunne. “Sligo are the top team in the country at the moment: they are consistent, they are scoring goals and they are not conceding too many. “For us it is a really tough task, but we are looking forward to it. In a sense, we have nothing to lose and we will go up and perform. We have prepared the right way, we are looking forward to it and we will give it a good go,” added Dunne whose squad over-nighted in Galway. Cobh Ramblers are in First Division action tonight at St Colman’s Park when they host Mervue United with a 7.45 kick-off. Cork are back in action on Tuesday when they play Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium (7.30pm) in the first leg of their Setanta Cup semi-final clash with the return leg back at Turner’s Cross on Monday week, April 22. ● ● See P53.