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Mary Hannigan: Compelling drama the order of the day in hurling finals

Manchester City make rest of football seem small; Rhasidat Adeleke’s continues sensational season

Kilkenny's TJ Reid and Cillian Buckley celebrate after the game. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho

Mary Hannigan's face
Mary Hannigan
Mon Jun 12 2023 - 10:35

Good morning,

Eight goals and 92 points between them; late, late drama in both games; a single point the winning margin for the two victors – as Seán Moran puts it, “the provincial hurling season reached a climax with two compelling finals”.

Denis Walsh was at the Gaelic Grounds to witness Limerick beat Clare to claim their fifth Munster title in a row, while Gordon Manning was in Croke Park to see Cillian Buckley’s last-gasp goal against Galway make it a Leinster four-in-a-row for Kilkenny.

After watching both games, Nicky English admits he’s none the wiser about which county will go all the way this year, the weekend demonstrating yet again that “it’s open season”.

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Denis, meanwhile, reflects on the life of Teddy McCarthy, the Cork double winner who died last week at the age of 58, his 1990 achievement “frozen in time, unimaginable now or ever again”.

In athletics, spare a thought for Ian O’Riordan: he’s the person tasked with keeping up with Rhasidat Adeleke’s sensational season, her latest achievement coming in Texas on Saturday where she lowered her own 400m record and became the first Irish woman to win an outdoor NCAA sprint title. It was, Ian writes, “a complete and utter masterclass in one-lap racing”.

In soccer, Gavin Cummiskey brings news of England’s efforts to woo Republic of Ireland under-21 international Tom Cannon, the Liverpool-born striker now considering switching his international allegiances. Gavin also hears from Stephen Kenny who shared his thoughts on the structures of Irish football and the FAI’s efforts to persuade the Government to invest in the game here.

Manchester City have, of course, benefited from a bit of investment themselves in recent times, Ken Early struggling to see how anyone can rival them when they’re backed by the resources of an oil state. “They’ve made the rest of football seem small,” he says.

And in tennis, we look back on Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek’s French Open triumphs, Djokovic winning a record 23rd grand slam title. Speaking of thoroughbreds: Arcangelo won the Belmont Stakes at the weekend, his trainer Jena Antonucci becoming the first woman in history to train a winner of any Triple Crown race.

Telly watch: There are many reasons for not liking Mondays, but the occasional dearth of top notch sport on our TVs is at the top of the list. The best we can offer you is a friendly between Germany and Ukraine (kick-off 5.0) on Premier Sports 1 and a round-up of the weekend’s GAA action (TG4, 8.0 – 9.0)

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