Latest news with #2025Championship
Eyewitness News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Junior Boks take on New Zealand in World Rugby U20 Championship final on Saturday
The much-anticipated showdown revives memories of the 2012 final, when the Junior Springboks edged the Baby Blacks to lift their first and only U20 title on home soil. On Monday, 14 July, fans at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella witnessed two thrilling semi-finals. The action began with a rematch of the 2024 encounter between France and New Zealand, a high-scoring affair previously won 55-31 by Les Bleuets in South Africa. This time, however, the Junior All Blacks had the last word, securing their place in the final and ending France's hopes of a three-peat. South Africa, meanwhile, made a blistering start in their semi-final against Argentina. Centre Albie Bester opened the scoring in the ninth minute, and moments later, scrum-half Hassiem Pead finished a sweeping move straight from the restart. ALSO READ: Springboks tactics: 'The law is clear. You may NOT deliberately infringe' - Craig Ray, rugby analyst With a 28-3 lead inside 25 minutes, the Junior Boks looked set to cruise, but Argentina hit back just before halftime through number eight Agustín Garcia Campos Fiszman. Timoteo Silva's second-half try narrowed the gap to 11 points, but South Africa responded with composure. Vusi Moyo added two penalties before Bester raced in for his second try, securing a 48-24 win and their first final appearance in over a decade. Earlier in the day, Wales looked to repeat their U20 Six Nations triumph over England and led 13-12 at the break thanks to Sion Davies' try. However, England stormed back with three tries in an eight-minute burst around the hour mark to claim a dominant 51-13 victory, securing a top-six finish in the 2025 Championship. Watch the Junior Boks take on New Zealand live on SuperSport, Saturday, 19 July at 8.30 pm.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Local Powerboat Driver wins first round race in Italy
Tam Kingfisher Fire & Security powerboat driver Matthew Palfreyman wins the first round of the 2025 F2 World Powerboat Championship in Brindisi, Italy. The 32-year-old from Aughton, Ormskirk made an impactful start in the Championship opening round and delivered a brilliant performance, in which proved to be tough conditions during the race. Advertisement Qualifying was moved to the Sunday morning due to fierce wind concerns. However, this did not affect Palfreyman's performance, with him securing pole position in the opening qualifying session. READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE - Marc Guehi latest, Alexander Isak future, Hugo Ekitike wanted READ MORE: The seven players waving goodbye to Liverpool today as Arne Slot transfer plans take shape The Team Kingfisher driver won the exact same event in Brindisi last year and was hoping for the same outcome in this year's race. The race itself lasted 30 laps and also had a yellow flag, due to a crash which involved Team Abu Dhabi's boat and its driver Mansoor Al Mansoori. Even at that point Palfreyman was still clear of the pack behind him. Advertisement "The conditions were tough, but I like the challenge of driving in the rough water—it suits my driving style' 'The boat was set up and ran perfectly. Honestly, once I was out in front, I managed to simply pull away and I knew it was going to be difficult for anyone to get past me. I actually felt untouchable out there!' said Palfreyman after the first race of the Championship. The driver from Ormskirk finished first in the race and was accompanied on the podium by French driver Peter Morin in second place, and Hilmer Wiberg of Sweden in third place. This win means that Team Kingfisher has now taken an early lead in the 2025 F2 World Championship standings, as they sit in first position with 20 points. Advertisement After a dominant first display by Team Kingfisher, owner and team manager Ian Blacker said: 'I'm proud of Matthew and the whole crew. "A flawless race in difficult conditions. We made the right decision to run the DAC/Optimax boat in this opening round – the boat performed exactly as we'd hoped and gave Matthew what he needed take the win. This is the best possible start for our 2025 season, and now we need to build on this success and shift our focus to Klaipėda.' Palfreyman finished in fifth place last year but this time around he is looking to beat the rest of the 19 drivers and has his sights set on this year's title, with Team Kingfisher now showing they are ready to challenge for the 2025 Championship. Team Kingfisher Fire & Security will be back in action for the second round out of five, in the Championship, on the weekend of the July 17-19, when they will race in Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Black America Web
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Black America Web
Injuries Are The NBA's New Achilles Heel & It Needs To Be Rehabbed
Source: On Sunday, late in the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA finals, fans watched as Indiana Pacers superstar, leader, and closer, Tyrese Haliburton (the player who was so cold during his finals run that he earned the nickname 'The Haliban') writhed in pain on the floor, banging his fist and hanging his head. The replay, which was shown far too many times, confirmed that something in his leg had snapped. It was heartbreaking for a team that scraped and clawed its way to this final game. It would be confirmed that Haliburton, who was suffering from a calf strain when entering the game, had torn his Achilles. What could have been a riveting final game to the NBA season was a dud at best. While the final score would make it seem closer than it was, the Oklahoma City Thunder blew the Pacers out to go on to win the 2025 Championship. During this off-season, the NBA is going to have to remedy the glaring problem they have with keeping stars healthy so it doesn't dilute its product and run the risk of alienating fans who aren't paying to see bench players. I know, I know. I can hear the old heads now claiming that this generation is made of weak boned, feeble-kneed, fragile stars that need to be on minute restrictions when they never had to. And they are right to a degree. It does appear that today's stars seem to be more susceptible to injuries, but a lot of that can be attributed to advancements in the games. Despite playing an 82-game season since the 1967-68 season, the progression of the big man, no longer posting up in the lane and only being required to check a player from three inches away from the basket, is a thing of the past. In today's NBA game, big men can handle the rock, shoot threes, and take players off the dribble, which means much more work for players forced to check them. Players nowadays have rigorous off-season conditioning, play simulated game-style practices, and run way more than any player from the 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s, which means that the modern-day player's body is prone to breakdown. At the start of this season, Tom Haberstroh wrote a piece for Yahoo Sports noting that the NBA had a 'missing stars' problem due to injuries. In it, Haberstroh argued that the opening weeks of the NBA season was going to be a snoozefest because several stars were still nursing injuries. 'Philadelphia 76ers star guard Tyrese Maxey went down with a hamstring injury that will sideline him for multiple weeks. Then Zion Williamson. Then Ja Morant. Then Kevin Durant. Then Chet Holmgren. Each is expected to be sidelined with timetables measured in weeks, not days.' He added: 'Teams are fighting to keep their biggest names on the floor, and many are losing that battle. Joel Embiid and Kawhi Leonard haven't even played a game yet. Jaylen Brown (missed four games,) Stephen Curry (three), Zach LaVine (three) and Anthony Davis (one) have been banged up. Houston's Fred VanVleet (hamstring) is set to miss his first game of the season Tuesday. Paolo Banchero is out. So are Scottie Barnes, Dejounte Murray, and Khris Middleton. All told, when you dive into the numbers, the NBA is bordering on a health crisis.' And here's the rub, because the NBA knows that coaches were trying to manage players the past couple of years, they implemented a Player Participation Policy and within just the second year of mandatory player participation, star players missed an average of 28 games and not one single star played all 82 games of the 2024-2025 season, according to True Hoop . NBA players are being overworked; more is expected of them throughout the notoriously long season, which is leading to their bodies breaking down. 'In this post season alone, Haliburton, [Milwaukee] Bucks guard Damian Lillard and [Boston] Celtics wing Jayson Tatum all sustained the same injury,' NBC News reports. Which might mean that there is a connection between the number of games and the rigorous workouts that NBA players undergo to keep their bodies limber for the long season. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who profits on producing the most talented productions, of course, doesn't see it this way. 'I don't really see the benefit to reducing the number of games,' Silver told members of the media earlier this month. 'People used to say you should reduce the number of games because it will lead to reduction in the number of injuries. There's absolutely no data to suggest that.' I wonder who would conduct this study? Would that be the NBA? And would a study that confirms the hypothesis that long seasons lead to more injuries help the NBA's profit? I think we can all agree that the modern-day game is a completely different game from the one they played in the 80s and 90s, where players could jog up the court to run set plays. Most modern NBA players are looking to create fast breaks whenever the opportunity arises. 'Modern NBA players cover an average of 2.5 to 4 miles per game, due to the faster pace and increased emphasis on running and conditioning,' according to Scout Life magazine. 'This difference is partly due to the evolution of the game's style, as well as the implementation of advanced tracking technologies that allow for precise measurement of player movement.' Nothing was going to keep Haliburton out of Game 7. He played his whole basketball career for that moment, and unfortunately, he didn't get the storybook ending he hoped for. But sometimes it's the work of the coaching staff to take the decision out of the player's hands, and if the commissioner would like to shorten the season or lift restrictions on allowing players rest during the season, that wouldn't hurt either. SEE ALSO Injuries Are The NBA's New Achilles Heel & It Needs To Be Rehabbed was originally published on
Irish Independent
18-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Around the Districts: Ardcath/Clonalvy, Curraha, Gormanston and Julianstown
Contact Any news or items of interest contact Niamh at 086 3477283 or email niamhuiloinsigh@ Ardcath Tidy Towns If anyone would like to be involved with Ardcath Tidy Towns, please WhatsApp 087 8354805 to be added to the Tidy Towns WhatsApp Group. Michael Fox Ardcath Tidy Towns Committee. Ardcath ICA Social Dancing continues every Monday evening in Bennetts Function Room at 7pm. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. Ardcath Guild Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm in Bennetts Function Room Ardcath - New Members welcome. Ardcath Clonalvy Heritage Society There was a great turnout and celebration for the rededication of the font on June 7th in St. Mary's Church, Ardcath. The rededication and concelebrated mass were carried out by Bishop Deenihan, Fr. Michael, Fr. Phil and Fr. Steve. Fr Michael, Fr Phil. Leo thanked all on behalf of Ardcath Clonalvy Heritage Society and introduced Nick who gave a short talk on the font and its link with the medieval church in the graveyard. Many thanks to everyone involved for their dedication in completing this project. St. Mary's Church Ardcath First Friday Visits to the Sick, and Housebound: The First Friday Visits take place on the First Fridays of the Month and are an opportunity for those who are unable to leave their homes to receive Confession, Holy Communion and the Sacrament of the Sick. If you wish to be included in the pastoral visits, please contact the Parish Office on 018350136 or Fr. Steve on 087-3379031. Clonalvy Patron Day Clonalvy Patron Day will be held on Sunday June 29th 2025. Mass at 1pm in Saint John the Baptist Church followed by Blessings of the Graves in Clonalvy Cemetery at 1.30 p.m. St. Vincent's GFC Lotto Lotto Results 2nd June, 2025 Numbers Drawn were 2-15-40 No Winner. Jackpot €1,000. Windfall draw takes place on Monday night @ 9.00pm. Play before 6pm Monday at Text Alert Duleek & District Community Text Alert covering Duleek, Bellewstown, Ardcath/Clonalvy, Donore, Beamore, Rathfeigh, Stamullen, Gormanston, Julianstown subscription of €6 can now be paid for free by Revolut. Please send your name & address along with payment to 086 8097737. If you're not already registered with Text Alert, please consider doing so. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more CURRAHA Contact Any news or items of interest contact Niamh at 086 3477283 or email niamhuiloinsigh@ Curraha GAA After securing a League title in their debut campaign, our Ladies team this week learned who their opponents would be in the 2025 Championship. We have been graded at Junior D level and will face Oldcastle, Rathkenny, and Dee Rangers in Group B, with games due to start in the first week of August. The Jacksie Kiernan Competition is due to start at the end of this month, with fixtures to be confirmed, so there is plenty of football to look forward to over the summer Curraha Tidy Towns Calling everyone to come out the 1st Saturday of each month to clean up your area. Bags can be provided if required ring Deirdre on 0868868917 or Marcella on 0876744691. Please drop the full bags back to the Church carpark for collection by the County Council. Let's be proud of our village. St Andrew's National School, Curragha Summer Party: Come and join us for some fun, games, treats and music on Friday 20th June. Junior Infants to 2nd Class times ate .30 to 7 pm and 3rd to 6th classes 8 pm to 9.30 pm. Admission is €5 per child and parents are welcome for refreshments. Treats: Candy floss and popcorn for sale. This event will be supervised by the Parents Association. GORMANSTON Save Gormanston Beach. As many people would already be aware that there are plans to establish a new Deep-Water Port directly off the coast at Gormanston. Over the past few months a number of signs have also been erected around the Gormanston Village area by the Save Gormanston Beach Association who are totally against such a venture. This idea of establishing a Deep-Water Port in this area started way back in 2005 when it was first suggested that the actual site for the Port would be located on the Fingal side of the Delvin River Estuary and that the main phase of the Port would be along the Bremore Head area just to the north of Balbriggan. However, after a number of years this particular plan was dropped. However, in recent years it has now come to light that this new Port will actually be located out in the Irish Sea directly opposite the beautiful sandy beach at Gormanston. As part of and in association with the Save Gormanston Beach, Community Historian Brendan Matthews will present a special History & Heritage Walk n Talk on Sunday June 22nd next beginning on the south side of the Delvin Estuary at 2pm. From there Brendan will walk the group towards Bremore Head where he will speak about the arrival of the early Neolithic (Stone Age) farmers who arrived here at the Delvin Estuary almost six thousand years ago. This coastal area on either side of the Delvin Estuary contains a number of burial tombs that actually pre-date the great burial tombs of the nearby Boyne Valley. Brendan will explain who these Stone Age people were, where they had come from and why they settled here. This is a Free event and all are welcome to attend. The tour will last a little over an hour and will return to the starting point at the Delvin Estuary where Brendan will elaborate on the burial tombs that are located on the Meath side of the Delvin including one of the tombs which was opened and investigated back in the year 1840 and prior to the coming of the railway line. This will be a great opportunity to gain an insight into the wonderful archaeological riches we have here on our doorstep and will be of interest to both young and old: Sunday June 22nd at 2pm. JULIANSTOWN Contact Any news or items of interest contact Niamh at 086 3477283 or email niamhuiloinsigh@ Julianstown Tidy Towns Judging for Meath County Council Pride of Place takes place in Julianstown on Tuesday 1st July at 2.05 pm. Our judge is Aoife Munn who also judges for the Supervalu National Tidy Towns. Julianstown Tidy Towns Volunteers have commenced work in the village on Saturday mornings and Tuesday evenings. We have been replanting the raised beds in the village, cleaning the kerbs of weeds, and cutting back overhanging branches. Larry Lenehan has carried out a great clean up of the bridge wall – thanks Larry. Many thanks to Uniplumo for supplying the bedding plants for all the raised beds – they look wonderful. 14 planters have been placed all around the village and special thanks to those who have volunteered to water them throughout the summer. Meet in the Community Garden at 10.30 am on Saturday morning or join us on Tuesday evening at 7 pm. What's App group – Julianstown Volunteers Group for exact dates, times and where to meet up. . New members are always welcome, and we would appreciate any extra help you can give. Just wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Gloves and tools will be provided. Then afterwards enjoy a cuppa tea or coffee with the gang. Would you like to Volunteer for Julianstown Tidy Towns? There are lots of different way to get involved like volunteering at a local event or festival or supporting more urgent initiatives that come up from time to time. Contact us at julianstowndca@ or join our WhatsApp group - Julianstown Volunteers Group or phone Niamh on 086 3477283. Community Association Julianstown & District Community Association would like to congratulate Wayne Harding on being appointed Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council and Cllr. Caroline O'Reilly as Leas-Cathaoirleach. We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Cllr. Sharon Tolan on being elected Cathaoirleach of Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District and Cllr. Maria White on being elected Leas-Cathaoirleach. Active Retirement Association East Meath Active Retirement Association (EMARA) meet every Thursday in St. Mary's Church of Ireland Parish Rooms, Laytown Road, Julianstown from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm each week. New members are always welcome to join this vibrant group of men and women. We have many events and outings lined up for the coming month. For more details contact Rose at 0868377033 and Eilish at 0863656951 . Adult Dance Classes Adult Dance Classes with Rachel Smyth will be held each Tuesday in the Julianstown Community Centre from 10am to 11am. Admission is €60 for a six-week term or €12 per drop-in class. Book now on 087 9420307 Julianstown Bowls Club Julianstown Bowls Club is recruiting new members. Why not come along to experience the game of bowls and have a very enjoyable evening, on Monday or Thursday from 8 to 10 pm in Julianstown Community Hall. Contact Sean on 086-8438803 or Marie 086-1525413. St. Mary's Church of Ireland All services 10.30 am. Sunday 22 June, Holy Communion Sunday 29 June: Service of Wholeness and Healing Parish Walk: It is hard to believe a year has passed since we had a parish walk. If the weather is fine, I suggest we meet again at Bellewstown Racecourse for a walk, this time on Tuesday 24 th June at 7.00pm. Bring your own refreshments! All ages and dogs welcome to join in! Charity Collections: The June collection will be for the Church's Ministry of Healing. Work around the Parish Rooms: the work around the parish rooms has been completed and everything looks lovely. Thanks again to the donor who made the paving work possible. A new fire alarm system has been installed in the church and the parish rooms. There is always some improvement or maintenance issue around our buildings! St. Mary's and St Patrick's Church Baptism Preparation: Our next preparation meeting takes place this Tuesday, 2nd September. If you wish to register your child for Baptism please contact our parish office. Parish Projects 2025: Repairs to the Roof and Gutters in St. Mary's Church are almost complete. We are awaiting the installation of the Facia and gutters. This Project was our last big project for our Parish for this year. In St. Patrick's Church, the upgrade of the heating system will take place in the coming weeks. All the work carried out in our Parish this year is made possible through your generous donations and support. Thank you and God bless you. Fr. Brendan. Plaque in St. Mary's Church: We are currently preparing information for the Plaque in St. Mary's. There is still time to include your intention on this Parish Plaque which will be placed in St. Mary's Church. This marble plaque will be erected in the entrance hall acknowledging all who donate towards projects. 'Benefactors' will be inscribed on the plaque. The plaque will ask all who read it to please pray for all benefactors and all the above named. If a person or family donate €500 or more, they can place their family name, or the name of a deceased loved one on the plaque. Donation sheets are available beside the Newsletters you can complete a Form and send the donation in an envelope or via bank transfer. Moorechurch Cemetery Mass and Blessing of Graves in Moorechurch Cemetery will take place on Sunday, 6th July at 11:30 am. As always, we ask that visitors to the Cemetery take their rubbish/dead flowers etc., home with them. We encourage this practice to ensure the cemetery is in perfect condition for all who visit. St. Patrick's GFHC Lotto Jackpot € 9,000 drawn on 10th June. Numbers drawn: 6, 9,11,24 No Winner. . Next week's Jackpot: €9,100.
Irish Examiner
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Peter Keane: 'Seeding Cork and Kerry would be terrible for Munster Championship'
All-Ireland SFC group 3: Clare 2-14 (2-0-14) Louth 2-17 (2-1-15) Clare manager Peter Keane had only just watched his side exit the 2025 Championship when he was coming out strongly against any move to ensure that Cork and Kerry will be seeded come next year's Munster SFC. The provincial council will vote on the matter next month and the result will have a massive bearing on the ability of Clare to follow up on their achievement of reaching three successive finals and the All-Ireland group stages that followed. 'It is interesting this week now there seems to be a move by the Muster Council to go back to seeding Cork and Kerry, which I think would be a terrible move for football in the province," Keane explained. 'You take any county, the only way you are going to get better is to get out of [Division] Three and into Two and get to a higher standard and play at a higher Championship level. You look at Louth, where they have come from over a four or five-year window. 'They have come from Four to Three to Two and stayed in Two and had success this year with a Leinster Championship. Counties have got to be given that chance. If you block it out altogether it's no good for anyone.' These group stages have been a hard path for the Banner. This was their ninth defeat in as many outings since 2023 but they gave it everything in trying to break that duck and edge Louth out to the last preliminary quarter-final place on offer. They started superbly, firing off the first three points but failing to make the most of subsequent chances, and they were made to pay for that after Manus Doherty earned a black card for a foul on Craig Lennon. The Leinster champions outscored them 2-3 to 0-1 in the course of the next ten minutes. Sam Mulroy and Ciaran Downey got the goals, the latter rattling off a stunning 1-4 from play during that critical purple patch. Down by eight points at the break, Clare fought the good fight, opening the scoring on the restart through a Ray Mcmahon goal that owed its origins to a bad error in his own third by none other than the otherwise excellent Downey. They chipped away persistently and patiently from there to the finish, grinding the gap down to just three points by the end thanks in no small part to an Eoin Cleary goal, but falling short on the back of some poor attacking options at the end. 'Oh you couldn't but be proud of them,' said Keane who expressed an enthusiasm for building on his first season with the county in 2026. 'By Jesus, somebody said there they died on their backs and they died with their shoes on.' For Ger Brennan and his Louth team this was an edgy, uncomfortable afternoon. The manager described it as a mix of good, bad and terrible at the end of a group where they never rediscovered the sort of form that won a first provincial title in 68 years. "The aim today was to win at all costs,' said the Dubliner. 'It doesn't have to be pretty - today it wasn't pretty - but we got over the line and we're in the hat for [the draw] tomorrow morning, and that was the main aim. "It's exciting, to be fair to the GAA, to have the draws after the weekend's action. It adds to the competition. We'll go anywhere. We've got great support. It was probably nine to one in favour of Louth in the stand today, even though we keep giving them heart attacks - and myself a heart attack on occasion - but they are our 16th man.' Scorers for Clare: M McInerney (0-5, 3f); E Cleary (1-2); R McMahon (1-0); E McMahon (0-2); B McNamara and A Griffin (both 0-1); S Ryan (0-1 '45'); Scorers for Louth: S Mulroy (1-6, 1f, 1 2-ptr); C Downey (1-5); C Branigan (0-2); C Lennon, C Grimes, R Burns, R Walsh and (all 0-1); CLARE: S Ryan; R McMahon, R Lanigan, M Doherty; A Sweeney, C Rouine, I Ugwueru; B McNamara, D Walsh; E McMahon, D Coughlan, C Meaney; A Griffin, E Cleary, M McInerney. Subs: S Griffin for Meaney (24); B Rouine for Walsh (50); J Stack for Sweeney (59); K Sexton for Cleary (64); C Downes for McMahon (67). LOUTH: N McDonnell; D Nally, E Carolan, D McKenny; C McKeever, P Lynch, C Lennon; T Durnin, D McConnell; D Corcoran, C Downey, C Grimes; C Keenan, S Mulroy, R Burns. Subs: R Walsh for Lennon (32); D Campbell for Keenan and C Branigan for Grimes (both 53); A Williams for Burns (66); T Markey for McDonnell (66); K McArdle for Downey (68). Referee: B Tiernan (Dublin).
