Latest news with #Scull
Irish Independent
07-08-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
New Ross boat club member rows for Ireland in international regatta
Brennan, at only 19 years of age, was one of the first Irish boats on the water when she competed in the Women's U23 Single Scull (1x) and delivered a standout performance. In a thrilling race, Anna placed second, behind the English sculler. She maintained strong pace and clear water over the Welsh and Scottish competitors, closing the gap on the leader all the way to the finish line. Later in the regatta, Brennan took to the water once again, this time in the senior women's quad sculls. She joined forces with Amy Barrett, a former New Ross Boat Club rower, now training with the University of Limerick Rowing Club along with two other scullers Kilgallen of Neptune Rowing Club and Walsh of Sligo Rowing Club. Barrett was in the bow seat, with Brennan setting the rate from the stroke seat. The Irish crew competing in a high-calibre field, secured a commendable third-place finish. Nearing the end of the regatta, the same crew returned to the water for their final race in the women's senior 4x- 500m sprint, where they delivered an even stronger performance to take second place, finishing just behind England in an exciting sprint to the line. New Ross Boat Club also extends 'warm congratulations to Amy Barrett, whose continued success after joining University of Limerick, where she continues to row to a very high level, remains a powerful inspiration for the next generation of New Ross Boat Club rowers,' commented Dave Roche of New Ross Boat Club.
Sydney Morning Herald
01-08-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
It used to be farmland. Now this suburb is its own village
In August 2015, the factory opened an adjoining deli that serves freshly made cheese and Italian produce. It's since grown to be a destination eatery, and even welcomes thousands of people each March for its annual Ricotta Festival. 'We brought something unique to Thomastown that attracts people to this area. Otherwise, there's not really any reason why people come to Thomastown, to be frankly honest with you,' says Serena Zen, head of marketing. Other cheese factories also operate in the suburb. Florida Cheese moved its operation there in 1998, while Pantalica Cheese also has a local manufacturing facility. These factories are indicative of Thomastown's historical connection with the dairy industry. 'It's a big area … there were a lot of Italian migrants who settled here and started businesses near where they were living,' says Zen. 'Thomastown has a lot of food manufacturers … It's good to be near the city … It gives you more contact with the final customer.' Zen, who lives across the border in nearby Lalor, also says the That's Amore eatery fulfils a rising demand for modern venues within the suburb. 'A lot of young families are moving into these areas, and you see a demographic change,' she says. 'All of those young families are looking for places to have a good brunch. And there's nothing around. But we're here.' Roads and Transportation Thomastown station, located on the Mernda train line, was rebuilt and modernised in 2011. Keon Park station is also located in the suburb's south, on the border with Reservoir. The area is serviced by the Western Ring Road, which connects Melbourne's western and northern suburbs, although it often faces criticism for heavy traffic. Stalled plans to build an Outer Metropolitan Ring Road would link the Princes Freeway to Thomastown, likely easing congestion for drivers. For Chris Scull, who grew up in Thomastown and now volunteers for the Whittlesea Historical Society, his local transport network is convenient when compared with some other outer Melbourne suburbs. 'It's good because you're on the city fringe,' Scull says. 'I can go 10 minutes towards Bundoora and there's a huge park over there … But you've also got good transportation links.' This urbanisation would have been unimaginable during the early twentieth century, when Thomastown was little more than a farming town. It wasn't until the mid-1900s that it experienced a population boom. Historical census data shows that only 1500 residents lived in Thomastown in 1954. Today this number has ballooned to over 20,000. The area has changed a lot since Scull's childhood. But he says that this isn't necessarily a bad thing – the suburb still has plenty of room for growth. 'They're still filling up little pockets that are left … Some of the flats around Station Street and some of the houses there, I don't see why you couldn't knock them down and put some decent apartments in. 'A lot of the houses here are the same age as me, so they're getting to be 50 years old,' Scull says. 'And it's not really sad because they're not great'. Modern Thomastown Liz Skitch moved to the outer-north suburb a decade ago, shortly before the birth of her first child. She and her partner fell in love with a house with a backyard so big that it was 'basically a paddock'. They put in an offer straight away. 'At the end of the day, we couldn't afford Preston. We were in a share house in Preston, we were about to start a family, and we looked just a little bit further out,' Skitch says. But while the house (a triple-fronted brick veneer, with plenty of fruit trees and grapevines) is what brought the young family to Thomastown, Skitch says that the community is what made her want to stay. 'The minute we arrived, all the neighbours came to meet us. Old Frank around the corner was giving me lessons on how to bag the grapevines … and his wife, Theresa, was teaching us how to make sausages,' she says. Skitch now manages the Thomastown Neighbourhood House, a not-for-profit organisation that runs programs from a room at the local library. She's passionate about engaging the community, which she says is evolving but still remains the culturally rich place it has always been. 'It's kind of a sad time because a lot of the oldies are dying and selling up. But it's an exciting time because you've got the funky new families moving in, and we're seeing more diversity. 'We were really excited around the time of the [plebiscite] on gay marriage, when we started to see yes voters in Thomastown. It's becoming more progressive.' Skitch and volunteers at the Neighbourhood House have even invented a special nickname for their suburb: Promisetown. 'There's no snobbery. That's what I love … it's really down to earth. It's always been a place for underdogs,' she says. 'It's the land of opportunity.'
The Age
01-08-2025
- Business
- The Age
It used to be farmland. Now this suburb is its own village
In August 2015, the factory opened an adjoining deli that serves freshly made cheese and Italian produce. It's since grown to be a destination eatery, and even welcomes thousands of people each March for its annual Ricotta Festival. 'We brought something unique to Thomastown that attracts people to this area. Otherwise, there's not really any reason why people come to Thomastown, to be frankly honest with you,' says Serena Zen, head of marketing. Other cheese factories also operate in the suburb. Florida Cheese moved its operation there in 1998, while Pantalica Cheese also has a local manufacturing facility. These factories are indicative of Thomastown's historical connection with the dairy industry. 'It's a big area … there were a lot of Italian migrants who settled here and started businesses near where they were living,' says Zen. 'Thomastown has a lot of food manufacturers … It's good to be near the city … It gives you more contact with the final customer.' Zen, who lives across the border in nearby Lalor, also says the That's Amore eatery fulfils a rising demand for modern venues within the suburb. 'A lot of young families are moving into these areas, and you see a demographic change,' she says. 'All of those young families are looking for places to have a good brunch. And there's nothing around. But we're here.' Roads and Transportation Thomastown station, located on the Mernda train line, was rebuilt and modernised in 2011. Keon Park station is also located in the suburb's south, on the border with Reservoir. The area is serviced by the Western Ring Road, which connects Melbourne's western and northern suburbs, although it often faces criticism for heavy traffic. Stalled plans to build an Outer Metropolitan Ring Road would link the Princes Freeway to Thomastown, likely easing congestion for drivers. For Chris Scull, who grew up in Thomastown and now volunteers for the Whittlesea Historical Society, his local transport network is convenient when compared with some other outer Melbourne suburbs. 'It's good because you're on the city fringe,' Scull says. 'I can go 10 minutes towards Bundoora and there's a huge park over there … But you've also got good transportation links.' This urbanisation would have been unimaginable during the early twentieth century, when Thomastown was little more than a farming town. It wasn't until the mid-1900s that it experienced a population boom. Historical census data shows that only 1500 residents lived in Thomastown in 1954. Today this number has ballooned to over 20,000. The area has changed a lot since Scull's childhood. But he says that this isn't necessarily a bad thing – the suburb still has plenty of room for growth. 'They're still filling up little pockets that are left … Some of the flats around Station Street and some of the houses there, I don't see why you couldn't knock them down and put some decent apartments in. 'A lot of the houses here are the same age as me, so they're getting to be 50 years old,' Scull says. 'And it's not really sad because they're not great'. Modern Thomastown Liz Skitch moved to the outer-north suburb a decade ago, shortly before the birth of her first child. She and her partner fell in love with a house with a backyard so big that it was 'basically a paddock'. They put in an offer straight away. 'At the end of the day, we couldn't afford Preston. We were in a share house in Preston, we were about to start a family, and we looked just a little bit further out,' Skitch says. But while the house (a triple-fronted brick veneer, with plenty of fruit trees and grapevines) is what brought the young family to Thomastown, Skitch says that the community is what made her want to stay. 'The minute we arrived, all the neighbours came to meet us. Old Frank around the corner was giving me lessons on how to bag the grapevines … and his wife, Theresa, was teaching us how to make sausages,' she says. Skitch now manages the Thomastown Neighbourhood House, a not-for-profit organisation that runs programs from a room at the local library. She's passionate about engaging the community, which she says is evolving but still remains the culturally rich place it has always been. 'It's kind of a sad time because a lot of the oldies are dying and selling up. But it's an exciting time because you've got the funky new families moving in, and we're seeing more diversity. 'We were really excited around the time of the [plebiscite] on gay marriage, when we started to see yes voters in Thomastown. It's becoming more progressive.' Skitch and volunteers at the Neighbourhood House have even invented a special nickname for their suburb: Promisetown. 'There's no snobbery. That's what I love … it's really down to earth. It's always been a place for underdogs,' she says. 'It's the land of opportunity.'
Irish Examiner
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
O'Donnell-Ní Laoighre claim bronze, O'Donovan-Lynch, McCarthy-Pazzaia crews and Murtagh qualify
Finals racing got underway on Saturday on day 2 of racing at the Rowing World Cup in Lucerne. The PR3 Mixed Double Scull crew claimed a bronze medal in their A final. Semi-finals also took place with three Irish crews securing A Final spots. Zoe Hyde and Mags Cremen placed fourth in the semi-final of the Women's Double Scull, securing a spot in tomorrow's B Final. They raced in a highly competitive heat featuring China, the winners of the last World Cup Regatta in Varese, and Olympic champion Lola Anderson of Great Britain. At the 1000 metre mark, Zoe and Mags sat in sixth position before overtaking the New Zealand crew by the 1500 metre mark. A powerful sprint in the final stretch saw them pass the British crew to finish fourth with a time of 06:53.9. Fintan McCarthy and Konan Pazzaia won their semi-final in the Men's Double Sculls and will compete in the A Final tomorrow. In a tightly contested race, the duo led from the start, holding off strong challenges from the New Zealand crew and the second Irish boat. They crossed the line with a time of 06:11.43, which was faster than the time posted by Serbia in the first semi-final. Paul O'Donovan and Daire Lynch finished third in the semi-final of the Men's Double Sculls, securing their place in Sunday's A Final. The crew were in fifth position at the 1000 metre mark, just two seconds off the leaders. They moved up to fourth by the 1500 metre mark and produced a strong sprint finish to overtake Great Britain and qualify for the A Final. Fiona Murtagh delivered a dominant performance in her semi-final of the Women's Single Sculls, taking first place and securing a spot in tomorrow's A Final. She looked composed throughout, holding clear water by the 1500 metre mark and leading second-place Denmark by three seconds. In the A Final, she will face Great Britain's Lauren Henry, who also produced a commanding win in her semi-final. Tiarnán O'Donnell and Sadhbh Ní Laoighre finished third in the A Final of the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls and claimed a bronze medal. The duo raced in the PR3 category due to a lack of entries in their own PR2 classification. The event provided valuable racing experience for the new crew. Siobhán McCrohan finished fifth in the A Final of the Lightweight Women's Single Sculls. She was in sixth place heading into the final 500 metres but produced a strong finish to overtake the sculler from Peru and secure fifth overall with a time of 07:47.16. Alison Bergin competed in the D Final of the Women's Single Scull this morning, finishing fourth with a time of 07:58.51. At the 1500-metre mark, she held the highest stroke rate on the water, making her the fastest boat at that point. She closed the gap on third-place Peru to just two seconds in the final 250 metres, delivering a strong and determined finish. Sunday's Schedule: W2x | Mags Cremen & Zoe Hyde B Final: Sunday, 29th June – 8:40am IST (Lane 4) W4- | Feerick, Hayes, Magner & Long B Final: Sunday, 29th June – 8:50am IST (Lane 4) M4x | Byrne, Colsh, Murphy & Sheehan B Final: Sunday, 29th June – 9:10am IST (Lane 3) M2x | Fintan McCarthy & Konan Pazzaia A Final: Sunday, 29th June – 11:37am IST (Lane 3) M2x | Paul O'Donovan & Daire Lynch A Final: Sunday, 29th June – 11:37am IST (Lane 6) W1x | Fiona Murtagh A Final: Sunday, 29th June – 12:38pm IST (Lane 4)
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
From Scull to Rigondeaux: the tortuous professional journey of the Cuban prizefighter
Although Scull, who won the IBF super-middleweight championship in October last year, lives and fights around Berlin, Germany, the defending champion actually comes from Matanzas, Cuba. Despite 300 fights in the amateur game, Scull turned professional nine years ago in Argentina, fighting there for two years before having his first bout in Germany. After a few more bouts in Argentina, Scull began fighting solely - with the exception of a decision over Sean Hemphill in Las Vegas last year - in Germany. Why Cuban boxers never turned professional But why, with such a decorated and extensive amateur career, has Scull found himself fighting largely on German soil? The answer, as in most things, is politics. For years, under the rule of Fidel Castro, professional sports were banned in Cuba and the route to them was cut off by the regime. The Castro regime, which came to power in 1962, implemented a ban on professional boxing the same year. In its place, the Cuban government implemented an extensive, widespread amateur programme that dominated the unpaid side of the sport for decades. The result was that Cuba saw many of its star amateurs not turn off to the professional game. Before the ban, Cuba regularly produced legends such as Kid Gavilan, who became the welterweight champion of the world alongside Kid Chocolate, José Nápoles, and the ill-fated Benny 'Kid' Paret. All that changed from 1962, and the few Cuban fighters that made it into the professional ranks did so in spite of the regime, not because of it. Many fled, some to Mexico and many to Miami, where they began careers. Nápoles went to Florida, where he was one of many Cuban boxers - alongside Luis Manuel Rodriguez - to be taken under the wing of famed coach Angelo Dundee. But who did not make it to the US and who refused to switch from the amateur to the professional code? The Cuban boxers that many fans forget The most-mentioned Cuban in that regard was Teófilo Stevenson, who was born in 1952 and died just sixty years later as an old and broken man. Stevenson won the gold medal in the heavyweight division in the Olympics in 1972 (Munich), 1976 (Montreal), and 1980 (Moscow). He was 6'5', and handsome, and supposedly won 302 of 332 amateur fights. If Stevenson had turned over to the professional side of the sport in any of those years, he had all the skills, talent, and natural ability to have stood with George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, and Muhammad Ali. And yet he declined the opportunity to do so, famously saying, "What are eight million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?" Stevenson was not the only heavyweight to make such a choice, or to have so much success in the amateur side. After his retirement, Stevenson was followed as a Cuban star by Felix Savon, who won the heavyweight gold medal at the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympics. Savon, also, did not turn professional. Recent years have seen Cuba open up more and, consequently, many of its fighters have left to turn professional. Born in Guantanamo, Joel Casamayor went to the US and went on to win multiple world titles. He was followed by Yuriorkis Gamboa, Mike Perez, Yuniel Dorticos, Erislandy Lara, Yoan Pablo Hernandez, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Luis Ortiz, and Yordenis Ugás. Very few Cubans have reached the highest levels of the sport, however, and many have come unstuck with sudden wealth. The sport has yet, since 1962, to have a dominant champion. Against 'Canelo' Alvarez, could that change this weekend? Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
