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BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Ballymena United honour young fan's life with new kit design
Ballymena United's manager has said a 21-year-old fan who died in a car crash will always be in their hearts after she is honoured in their new kit. Lydia Ross, who was from the Ballymoney area, died after sustaining serious injuries in a single-vehicle crash in County Londonderry in December 2023. In memory of Lydia, Ballymena United have featured a sky blue ribbon on the front of their third kit for the 2025/26 team's manager, Jim Ervin, said that the "shirt represents Lydia, Paul and the family". He said he "very rarely missed" a Ballymena United football match with Lydia and remembers the events as "special" memories."You're there win, lose, or draw, and that was the way we did it. "It was just me and her - they always say I spoiled her", Mr Ross told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme."We have been carried the whole 17 months by so many people, we just can't get over it, and it's still coming."The likes of this, the video, the third kit, there's just always somethings been there in front of us, especially for me to focus on, which gives us great strength that people want to do what they do." Mr Ross said he and Lydia were lucky enough to meet some of the players when they attended matches."The players were all so nice and so welcoming. Her favourite was Steven McCullough."Mr Ross said his late daughter "would not believe" what he is doing."Even though I'm a sales rep and I talk all day, every day, I'm not a good public speaker. "My voice would go at different things, but she won't believe I'm doing this out front, standing at the away." The team's new third kit features blue and grey diagonal stripes with a small sky blue ribbon design in the middle in line with the club crest, in reference to Mr Ross' fundraising campaign. A contribution from all the sales of the shirt will be donated to Air Ambulance NI, a charity Lydia's family has been raising money for since her funeral. Ballymena United manager Jim Ervin said that the "shirt now represents more than just Ballymena United".He added: "I think it goes to show what Paul and Paul's family mean to everybody associated with Ballymena and also the Irish League, and what Paul has done through this last 17 months in supporting and keeping Lydia's memory going."She's certainly someone that at Ballymena we'll always have her in our hearts, and she'll always be very close, like Paul and Paul's family. "We'll always be there to try and help support them as much as we possibly can."Mr Ervin said he knows that Lydia would have been "very proud" of her father.
Irish Times
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Open diary: Scottie Scheffler proves the tallest giant among the towering dunes of Royal Portrush
Monday Exiting Bellaghy, a banner stretches across the road. 'We Serve Neither King Nor Kaiser, But Ireland'. On towards Portglenone, Rasharkin, wildly off course for the Open we swing into decorated Ballymoney with its bunting and flags hanging from buildings, draped from windows. There is a different message here, a more conciliatory tone towards monarchs. Up Union Street to the Ballymena Road, and the smiling face of Jim Allister beaming out from his Traditional Unionist Voice constituency office, reminds us of how prudent it would have been to follow the Google Maps. The 18th green at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. Photograph:Realigned and pointing towards Portrush, these are the racing roads of the Dunlop brothers, Joey and Robert, Michael and William, where superbikes tip 321km/h (200mph), squealing towards the famous links, where today the sun has given way to slate grey and charcoal skies. Portrush, though, is warm, almost humid, and more importantly, Rory McIlroy is in a good mood. 'I feel I'm in a good spot,' he said. That means we are all, for now, in good spots. Inside the course, its beauty, luminescent in the low light, catches the eye. On the hoarding, they have captured the Dunluce personality of danger and rugged charm with the championship slogan, Forged By Nature. Tuesday Waiting behind the rope at the first hole – Hughies – until the golfers hit their tee shots and amble past, a face that nobody has ever seen before, glides down the fairway. Unrecognised, Richard Teder is the first golfer from Estonia to play in the Open, qualifying by holing out from 90 yards in a sudden-death playoff. He is ranked 4,689th in the world. He said earlier in the week golf was easy. That triggered a lot of people. READ MORE In bay 10 Pádraig Harrington is hitting balls at the practice ground. Xander Schauffele is in five and Dustin Johnson in three. Brooks Koepka , buffed and gym shaped, is in 26. A crowd of children looking for autographs are shrieking in their wee Antrim accents Sheen ... Sheen ... Sheen at Shane Lowry on the putting green. There's a time and place. He turns and walks away. Five minutes later, the 2019 Open champion breezes past in the passenger seat of a buggy, head down, looking intensely at the screen of his phone. Business face. He's catching nobody's eye today. Scottie Scheffler: 'I'd much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer.' Photograph:Scottie Scheffler is there too in a grey hoody and white cap. Afterwards, he talks about life and golf and shatters preconceived notions that an expressionless demeanour on the course makes for a dull boy. 'This is not the be-all, end-all. This is not the most important thing in my life,' he says. 'I'd much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer.' It's what professional golfers must do these days, relate. Emotional alert. You sense a few in the room are beginning to fill up at Scottie's inner man. Wednesday Two miles from Bushmills is where the accommodation sits in the townland of Billy. The local Orange Lodge stands alone, surrounded by fields in splendid isolation like an Edward Hopper painting. Beyond are the seaside towns of Portrush and Portstewart. Damned if you can tell which is which and where one ends and the other begins as they ribbon around the coast. Portrush is in Antrim and Portstewart in Derry. One person who would know that is McIlroy. Last night, he was selected as Player of the Year by the Association of Golf Writers, who were suited and booted in the R&A pavilion by the first hole. Early in the evening, the surprise guest swept in through the doors wearing his Green Jacket. Rory McIlroy plays into the 17th green from the crowd during Day Three of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Photograph:Only first-time winners are allowed to remove their jackets from the Augusta club grounds, and then only for the first 12 months after their win. His entrance sparks a lightning standing ovation, belying the room's age profile. After winning this year's Masters, they had three different-sized jackets for him to try in The Butler Cabin, he tells us. To the background of the first fairway behind the giant glass window, where he stands, McIlroy, in his verdant green attire, and the links become one. Thursday Yesterday evening, Scotland could be seen from the West Strand. Today at 12.30pm, it is like somebody has pulled a blind down a few hundred yards off the coast at the Dunluce Course and turned on the cold shower. Two hours later, when McIlroy hits his first ball of the 153rd Open, a welcome climate transformation has taken place, and it is shirtsleeve weather. For that, thousands of fans are pleased because today is McIlroy's moment of redemption after an opening hole calamity in 2019 that is burned into their consciousness. Drive out of bounds. Quadruple bogey eight. Missed cut. Rory McIlroy strikes the ball on Day One of the Open at Royal Portrush. Photograph:Today, from the tee at the first hole, he, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Thomas can see the people gather in and line both sides of a fairway that stretches out towards bunkers and rises steeply to the green. There, the gallery appears to be even more swollen as people squeeze in on the thin yellow rope. Closer to the play, they want to see the lines on McIlroy's face. They want to see the wince he makes when his first par putt of The Open rolls by. They greet that with silence and are torn between better than last time or a plus number after one hole. Friday Around these parts, many things are biblical, so why not the rain. It came late afternoon in stair rods sweeping across the top of the island. McIlroy got 20 minutes of it, Lowry was just beginning his round when it arrived. When the first heavy drops fell, a young woman at the back of the final hole ran for cover, clutching her phone and a child. If this were the 2025 Masters and not the Open, she would have found herself in the security cabin. Probably not where she would have wanted to be, but at least out of the squall. Rain clouds sweep over Royal Portrush on Friday. Photograph:Augusta National strictly prohibited cell phones this year, setting a challenge to a selfie-obsessed generation. They have also banned running around the course and regular patrons have become adept at speed walking. At Sawgrass in March, McIlroy borrowed a phone from a spectator, Luke Potter, a University of Texas golfer who was heckling him. Teeing off for his second round, hundreds of phones are pointed at him with people at the back of the 18th stand peering down, taking footage and selfies. Of the many things McIlroy is, a prized backdrop for a selfie is not one of his favourites. Saturday Lee Westwood leans across and kisses his caddie at the first tee. It's okay. Helen Storey is his wife. Westwood joined the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV Tour in 2022 and was runner-up in the Open at St Andrews in 2010. LIV have a house opposite the clubhouse but outside the club boundary. But there are no hard feelings here. Westwood is greeted almost as loudly as McIlroy. Like Monty before him, the English golfer had a great career but no Major in his locker. England's Lee Westwood embraces his caddie and wife Helen after putting on the 18th green during Day Three of the Open at Royal Portrush, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA 'It was an easy decision for me to make. She'd probably rather be at home riding a horse,' said Lee. 'I knew I could handle the weight of the bag, but I didn't have a bloody clue what I was doing,' said Helen. It's the chemistry. Above the 12th fairway Nikon have a viewing tower stocked with binoculars, where you can go in and scan across the Dunluce links. Today you might spy Lowry scooting off course at every turn. A stomach virus has swept through his team and the House of Offaly is far from all right. Further away on an otherwise perfect evening Scotland reappears on the horizon. Sunday As we walk 20 minutes from the West Strand car park, where last night the Sons of Ulster were warming up for their march with drum riffs, there are sweet but earnest people handing out leaflets at the bridge that takes fans over Dunluce Road and into the club grounds, to the beer and Loch Lomond whiskey tents. A fetching picture of McIlroy and Lowry is on the cover with numbers 61 and 63. As a 16-year-old, McIlroy shot a course record 61, and at the 148th Open, Lowry shot a third-round 63 with eight birdies, a record for the new layout. To win the Claret Jug, notes the leaflet, 'a challenging course must be completed again'. To prove it, they quote Paul from the Bible: 'I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.' They also provide a number for those in need of help with spiritual matters. McIlroy is six behind Scheffler, and Lowry's third-round 74 shoved him further back, although he's smiling more today. Another cracking sun-kissed day in Portrush and the week closes with McIlroy trying to go back in time. A spiritual matter indeed.
Belfast Telegraph
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Jonathan Rea pays emotional tribute to Joey Dunlop on way to best result of season at Donington
Six-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea marked his emotional tribute to fellow Northern Ireland motorcycling legend Joey Dunlop in fitting style as he sealed his best result of the season at Donington Park. Rea unveiled a custom-made replica of the Ballymoney great's iconic yellow Arai helmet, which he wore to pay homage to Joey, 25 years after he lost his life while competing at a race in Tallinn, Estonia on July 2, 2000.
Belfast Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Michael Dunlop seals top spot in qualifying to boost hopes of Supersport glory at Southern 100
Dunlop improved from 15th on Monday to seal the top spot on the Milwaukee Ducati Panigale V2. The Ballymoney rider jumped up the leaderboard after limited laps in Monday's practice session, which was halted by a red flag crash involving French rider Yann Galli. In an update on Tuesday, the Southern 100 organisers said Galli had been transferred to a hospital in the UK and described his condition as 'comfortable and stable'. Racing was due to get under way on Tuesday night around the 4.25-mile Billown course, but the first Senior race for Superbikes did not go ahead after some riders, including Dunlop and Michael Sweeney, signalled that conditions were unsuitable after completing their sighting lap. Rain showers and fading light after qualifying ended ultimately wiped out the planned two-race schedule. The Superbike machines were ushered back into the paddock and Clerk of the Course Giles Olley said he had taken on board the views of three senior riders, who had been selected to give their feedback. The less powerful Supertwin machines were given the green light to race shortly before 9.00pm, but the red flag came out after the opening lap when rain began to fall. Rob Hodson was leading at the time on the SMT Racing Paton from Davey Todd (Milenco by Padgett's Paton) at the time of the stoppage. Earlier, Dunlop lapped at 110.243mph in Supersport qualifying to secure pole by just over half a second on his Ducati from Todd (Milenco by Padgett's Honda). Cork's Mike Browne was third fastest on the BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha followed by Ulsterman Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Honda). In the Superbike qualifying session, Todd picked up where he left off on Monday, leading the way on the 8TEN Racing BMW at 115.644mph. Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) was around half a second in arrears in second place after lapping at 115.159mph, while Manx rider Nathan Harrison maintained his impressive form on the H&H Motorcycles Honda to go third fastest (114.634mph). Dunlop was fourth on his MD Racing BMW with a speed of 112.908mph. Todd, who is the reigning Solo champion at the event following a hard-earned win over Dunlop in 2024, said there was more to come from his BMW. 'I'm happy enough and I was just trying to navigate traffic and get a couple of laps in early before we hit traffic,' Todd said. 'The bike is working well and the team is doing a great job but we're missing a sprocket, so the gearing is wrong, but the bike's working alright and it will be even better when we get the sprocket we need." Wigan's Hodson was fastest in the Supertwin session at 104.957mph from Todd (104.781mph), with Jordan – who won his maiden race at the North West 200 in the Supertwin class in May – third on the Jackson Racing Aprilia. Practice and qualifying has now been completed at the Southern 100 with racing scheduled to commence on Wednesday evening when the first Superbike, Supersport, Supertwin and Sidecar races are on the programme. The meeting concludes on Thursday with a packed day of racing in the morning and afternoon, including the blue-riband Solo Championship race.
Irish Times
05-07-2025
- Irish Times
Woman (34) charged with murder following house fire
A woman has appeared in court charged with the murder of a man following a house fire in Co Antrim. Patrick 'Paddy' Douglas (55) died from his injuries in hospital after the blaze in the Main Street area of Ballymoney on Tuesday. On Saturday, a 34-year-old woman appeared before Ballymena Magistrates' Court charged with his murder. The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spoke in court only to confirm she understood the charge. READ MORE A detective constable told the court she was able to connect the accused to the charge. The court heard the woman was spoken to on the morning of the fire and arrested on Wednesday. After two days of interviews, she was charged on Friday. The court heard a preliminary report from an expert which effectively said that it was not possible to exclude an electrical fault due to the extent of the fire damage. The detective constable said, however, an expert formed the opinion that the fire may have been caused by direct ignition of combustible materials. Under questioning, the PSNI representative said the report also says it could not exclude that an electrical fault may have occurred. There was no application for bail and legal aid was granted. Under an application from the accused's legal representative, the judge ordered restrictions on naming the woman. The case will return to court on July 28th. - PA
