Ireland seal T20 series victory against Zimbabwe
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BreakingNews.ie
11 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Basketball Ireland 'assessing next steps' after being drawn with Israel for Women's qualifiers
Basketball Ireland said they are "assessing the next steps" after being drawn with Israel for the Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers. James Weldon's side will be in qualifying Group A, along with Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Luxembourg, following Wednesday's draw. Advertisement The two sides met in a controversial qualifier in the Latvian capital, Riga, in February of 2024, despite public pressure to boycott the game over Israel's bombardment of Gaza. Ireland are due to travel to Israel for an away game on November 18th. In a statement, Basketball Ireland said: "Basketball Ireland is extremely alarmed by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and as such we are assessing our next steps following today's FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers draw, which saw Ireland drawn in Group A alongside Israel, in addition to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Luxembourg. "Basketball Ireland have spoken to FIBA Europe subsequently and are awaiting clarifications on a number of matters. Advertisement "Basketball Ireland will also be liaising with players, coaching staff, Sport Ireland, the Government, and other stakeholders over the coming days and we will provide an update next week." Ireland are due to begin their FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign with back-to-back home games against Luxembourg on November 12th, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina on November 15th, before an away game against Israel on November 18th. "Upon commencement of the competition, Basketball Ireland would be subject to a fine of up to €80,000 should Ireland fail to fulfil their first fixture with Israel, while failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, as well as the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers," Basketball Ireland said. "Should Basketball Ireland elect to withdraw from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign entirely before they commence, a fine of up to €30,000 would be applied, while FIBA Europe rules state that they 'may impose additional sanctions according to the FIBA Internal Regulations - Book 1 - General Provisions (Chapter 6)', which includes 'disqualification from a competition in progress and/or exclusion from future competitions'."
BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
Meenagh set to be named Derry senior manager
Ciaran Meenagh is set to be confirmed as the new Derry senior football within the county are still to rubberstamp the appointment, but it's anticipated the former Oak Leaf interim boss will be unveiled on Thursday, potentially at the draw for the Derry club backroom team is expected to contain former Derry defender Chrissy McKaigue as coach, while All-Ireland minor-winning manager Marty Boyle will form a significant part of the set-up, as will Martin McConnell on has vast knowledge of the scene in Derry, having served as coach under Damian McErlain in 2019 and then under Rory Gallagher from 2020 until Loughmacrory native took over as interim manager in 2023 when Gallagher stood back. Derry won the Ulster title under Meenagh with a penalty shootout victory over Armagh in the final, before losing to Kerry in the All-Ireland that defeat, Meenagh opted to move on despite having a strong case to be appointed on a full-time he took up a coaching role with Down and has played a big part in their recent resurgence, but it is understood he has parted ways with the Mournemen which paves the way for his Derry will be the third successive manager from Tyrone appointed as Derry boss, following one-year spells from Mickey Harte and Paddy Tally.
Times
11 minutes ago
- Times
Cheltenham Cricket Festival saved from extinction as thousands return
The future of the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, the oldest of its type dating back to 1872, was in serious doubt after two years of dwindling crowds and heavy financial losses. What used to be a cash cow for Gloucestershire quickly turned into an albatross around their neck, due to the fallout of the Covid pandemic and some unfortunate decision-making around how it was run. Now, however, some good news: the punters have returned, a profit is forecast for this year, and fears of the festival's demise have receded. The only gripe for home fans this week was having to watch Lancashire amass 557 runs on Wednesday. After the festival yielded losses of £80,000 last year and a 'significant' five-figure amount in 2023, changes were desperately needed. The turnaround has been jointly masterminded by two old boys of Cheltenham College, where the festival is staged, who have attended every edition since the 1970s. Peter Matthews, a senior partner in the accounting firm Ernst & Young, took over as Gloucestershire chairman last winter before recalling Chris Coley, an expert in the hospitality business, to take charge of the festival. 'There were a lot of factors against us last year, when it was almost a perfect storm,' Matthews said. 'The weather was pretty horrific, and we didn't get many walk-ups. Cheltenham is 37 per cent walk-ups. We had only one championship match and went for three T20s as we thought they would sell out. They didn't.' In its halcyon days, the festival, which was successfully run by Coley from 1979 to 2019, would make the county up to a six-figure profit each year. During Covid, though, the club decided to dispense with his services and take the festival back in-house. His return has led to an immediate spike in much of the lost marquee and corporate business that used to make the festival so much of its money. 'Chris has played a huge role in this by effectively going round Cheltenham and saying, 'We can't keep running at a loss, so please support it,' ' Matthews added. 'People take it that it will always be there — it can't always be there. Simple as that. His pleas would appear to have been listened to.' After a sell-out 5,000-strong crowd for a T20 Blast match on Thursday, the first two of eight days of championship cricket on the College Ground have attracted 2,400 and 3,000 respectively. Matthews is confident that, at this rate, the festival's finances will return to the black. 'I think we'll make a five-figure profit,' he said. 'Three days in, we're ahead of budget. We made close to six figures in the good old days but that was a different era of cricket, which you need to recognise. There was also a big hospitality market then, but every county is saying that it is a bit harder than it was.' Getting batsmen out at Cheltenham is also harder than it was with three players scoring hundreds on Wednesday, including a maiden one by Tom Hartley. He and Chris Green, who struck a career-best 160 off 199 balls, put on 212 in 46 overs, breaking a Lancashire ninth-wicket record that had stood since 1907. Green slog-swept six of his eight sixes off his Australian compatriot, Todd Murphy, the off-spinner. Gloucestershire's left-handed opener, Ben Charlesworth, 24, outpaced both of them to three figures, doing so off 123 balls with some fine back-foot strokeplay. Lancashire's only bowling success came when Jimmy Anderson nipped one back through Cameron Bancroft's defences in his third over.
