logo
Jack Kennedy records first win since injury break

Jack Kennedy records first win since injury break

Leader Live2 days ago
The former Irish champion jockey broke his leg for a sixth time in November and despite making it back for the Cheltenham Festival in March, he has been on the sidelines again since, missing showpiece meetings at Aintree and Punchestown as well as the conclusion of the 2024-25 Irish season.
Kennedy was out of luck with his three rides on his long-awaited return at Tipperary on Tuesday and also failed to trouble the judge on his three mounts at the same track on Thursday, but struck gold in Wexford's opening Shamrock Enterprises Maiden Hurdle.
He said: 'That's brilliant and I didn't have to wait too long, so it's great.'
The Gordon Elliott-trained Kamikaz Du Plessis was an 11-8 favourite having gone down narrowly on his debut under rules at Ballinrobe in late May and rewarded his supporters with a near four-length verdict.
Kennedy added: 'He is a very slick jumper, he travelled well and was probably borderline keen early, but once we on a little bit he was perfect then. He is a nice horse and hopefully there will be plenty more to come with him.
'He stayed on well in Ballinrobe the last day, so we were hoping the two-and-a-half-mile trip today would suit him.
'He probably put the race to bed fairly easy and I was probably there a bit soon on him. He was green and just ran around a bit, but he is a nice horse, I got a nice feel off of him, so hopefully he can go forward.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Amy Hunter and Bella Armstrong lead The Dragons to T20 Trophy delight
Amy Hunter and Bella Armstrong lead The Dragons to T20 Trophy delight

Belfast Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Belfast Telegraph

Amy Hunter and Bella Armstrong lead The Dragons to T20 Trophy delight

Irish international Hunter stroked 12 boundaries in a top score of 89 from just 58 balls in the morning win over Scorchers. The 19-year-old shared an opening stand of 171 in 17 overs with New Zealand overseas player Armstrong, matching each other blow for blow, with the latter clearing the ropes three times and hitting 11 fours in her 85 from 54 deliveries. The Dragons finished on an imposing 202 for four, with two wickets apiece for Irish internationals Sophie MacMahon and Ava Canning. Gaby Lewis was, however, undaunted by the huge chase, and while she was at the crease the target looked within reach. She thumped 14 fours and a maximum in a fluent 77 from 39 balls, but none of the other batters were able to score at the required rate. Louise Little made 26 in an opening stand of 59, while Canning bunted two over the ropes in a breezy 24, but they fell 38 adrift on 164 all out. Arlene Kelly took three wickets, while there were two apiece for Armstrong and Orla Prendergast. The afternoon game followed a similar script with Hunter and Armstrong adding 141 in 14 overs for the opening wicket. Armstrong hit 17 boundaries in a rapid 90, while Hunter's 62 included 11 fours. Prendergast kept the runs flowing with a quick-fire unbeaten 25 as The Dragons finished on 191 for three. Rebecca Stokell got the reply off to a quick start with five fours in a 13-ball 25, but was run out just after a rain break. Leah Paul looked good in her 45 (five fours), and there was some hope as former Irish captain Laura Delany was joined by Zara Craig (18). The pair added 56 in six overs but the required rate was just too much. Delany finished unbeaten on 60 from 47 balls (five fours), but the Dragons prevailed by 11 runs. Meanwhile, in the NCU Women's Premiership, defending champions Waringstown are two wins away from another title after an eight-wicket win at home to Muckamore. Two wickets apiece from Abigaile Gerken and Lucia Derby helped them restrict the Moylena side to 80 for seven — Nikki Niblock making 22. Fiona Murray took two wickets in the chase, but a third-wicket partnership of 44 between Amy Caulfield (31 not out) and Gerken (23 not out) clinched the easy win in the 12th over. Holywood's title ambitions suffered a major jolt when they were beaten by 10 runs (DLS) by CSNI. The Seapark side were bundled out for just 72 with three wickets for Eva Wilson, and two apiece for Katie West and Emily Carville. Wilson (19) then added 51 for the second wicket with skipper Jemma Gillan (21 not out) that saw CSNI ahead of the game when the match was stopped by the rain after 15 overs. North Down's Gracie Keenan hit nine fours in an unbeaten 77, sharing a second wicket stand of 91 with Kiara Fisher (42) as the Comber side made 159 for one against Lisburn. Gracie Wilson (51) and Lucy Andrews (36) added 92 in 13 overs but the Wallace Park side fell 13 runs adrift in another match curtailed by the weather.

Waringstown and Instonians locked at summit as duo back up Cup wins with League triumphs
Waringstown and Instonians locked at summit as duo back up Cup wins with League triumphs

Belfast Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Belfast Telegraph

Waringstown and Instonians locked at summit as duo back up Cup wins with League triumphs

The Shaw's Bridge side again opted to bowl first in their clash with third-placed Lisburn, and once again their bowlers responded to the challenge by restricting them to 186 in an innings that never really got going. Ross Adair (20) and Nigel Jones (26) got starts, but only when Ben Calitz was in full flow did Lisburn get a foothold in the contest. The Irish passport-holding South African hit three sixes and fours in a 42-ball 47, adding 83 for the fourth wicket with skipper Neil Whitworth (36). However, Cian Robertson spun his left-arm magic, claiming four wickets for just 23 to put the home side firmly in control. Shane Dadswell (three for 30) and two wickets for Ben Rose reaffirmed the advantage, and a final total of 186 looked to be well short of challenging. Cade Carmichael had missed out in Saturday's Cup win, but the Irish international cashed in with a brilliant 77-ball 117 that included 15 fours and four maximums to break the back of the chase. His century means that he is the leading run-scorer in the League with 473 runs, just ahead of Jason van der Merwe. Carmichael added 112 with Rob McKinley (24), and that allowed Inst to coast to a six-wicket win in the 28th over – Dadswell bringing the game to a hasty conclusion by thumping three fours and a six in the final four balls. For Lisburn, a 2025 season that promised so much is in danger of falling apart, with their main hope for silverware now resting on the Irish Senior Cup where they travel to play Balbriggan in the last-four. Waringstown kept pace with Instonians thanks to an emphatic seven-wicket win at Cliftonville Academy in a match reduced to 25 overs. Abhishek Raut hit a 32-ball unbeaten 56 as the home side posted what looked a competitive 174 for five – Varun Chopra making a run-a-ball 36 (five fours) and Hayden Melly 27. The Topping brothers, though, made light work of the chase as they shared an opening stand of 125 in just 80 balls. Morgan hit eight fours and six sixes in a 56-ball 87, while younger brother Sam's 36-ball 53 included five fours and three maximums. John Glass claimed two wickets, but the seven-wicket win was sealed in the 19th over. Woodvale and North Down shared a dramatic tie in a see-saw game at Ballygomartin Road – a result that saw both happy to get something from the match in the end. Stevie Saul just missed out on a century, getting two from the final ball of the North Down innings to end on 99 – seven fours, four sixes – adding 127 for the fourth wicket with Mickey Copeland as they made 193 for five in 35 overs. Woodvale looked beaten as they slumped to 78 for six, but Carl Robinson's 51-ball 64 got them right back into contention as he added 104 in 17 overs for the seventh wicket with Zara Khan (49 not out). Some 17 were still needed from the last two overs when last man Anek Anil joined Khan, but they chipped away and the equation came down to three from the final ball. Anil managed to scramble two, ensuring a share of the spoils. North Down finished in the top six for the split, while Woodvale's two points meant they moved off the bottom above Templepatrick. Meanwhile, in the North West, there was a real shock as leaders Donemana lost by 42 runs to bottom side Bready in a rearranged game. David Rankin top-scored with 64 as Bready posted 194 for seven – four wickets for Jordan McGonigle, who came out of retirement to compensate for Andy McBrine's unavailability. Teenager Travis Faulkner took three wickets as the League leaders slumped to 62 for seven, and although they rallied with runs for brothers Billy (38) and DJ Dougherty (28), Faulkner returned to claim his fourth in a victory that lifted Bready off the bottom of the table.

Metcalfe: Wales will respond after defeat in U20 Summer Series
Metcalfe: Wales will respond after defeat in U20 Summer Series

South Wales Argus

time3 hours ago

  • South Wales Argus

Metcalfe: Wales will respond after defeat in U20 Summer Series

The hosts showed determination throughout the physical encounter, reducing Ireland's advantage to 10-5 and 15-10 during the match through scores from Savannah Picton-Powell and Seren Singleton. But tries from Irish quintet Sophie Barrett, Robyn O'Connor, Hannah Clarke, Jemima Adams-Verling and Ellie O'Sullivan-Sexton ultimately put the game out Wales's reach at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. However, Metcalfe insisted her charges won't dwell too much on the defeat and that they will work hard to improve before they next take to the field. 'We're Welsh, we'll be sure to keep going,' said the 18-year-old. 'I'm really proud of the girls for what they did today. 'We left everything out on the field, and I can't doubt anyone's intent. We are a really young side, so there's a few things we need to freshen up on, but I'm really proud of our efforts.' 😎 A recap of the results from yesterday's opening games in the #U6NSummerSeries — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 6, 2025 Both sides matched each other's intensity in the tackle during the opening exchanges, but Ireland were able to withstand Wales' early pressure as the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes. Barrett and O'Connor gave Ireland a 10-0 lead midway through the first half, but Wales regrouped well, halving the deficit on the half-hour mark when Chiara Pearce, fresh off the bench, offloaded to the charging Picton-Powell to dot down. Clarke finished a cross-field Irish move seven minutes into the second 40 minutes, but Wales refused to give up the ghost, hitting back five minutes later as Singleton crashed over in the corner following good work to get the ball out wide on the right to reduce the gap back to five points. Metcalfe explained it was passages of play such as the one Singleton scored from that Wales can take as one of the positive from the clash. 'I think the way we move the ball [was pleasing],' she continued. 'Our intent too and the way we were running on the ball, we're working really hard, but it's just about the little bits to finish things off now. We can definitely do it.' Amidst the driving rain, Adams-Verling, named Player of the Match, re-established Ireland's two-score buffer on 58 minutes before O'Sullivan-Sexton's late effort rounded off the scoring. Wales will be back in action on 11 July when they take on Scotland in the second match of the competition. Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store