McCloskey in late call-up to Irish squad
WORLD Superbike champion Jonathan Rea was once again the big winner at the Belfast Telegraph Sports Awards as he was awarded the Sports Star of the Year Award for the third time in a row.
Rea was honoured at last night’s awards glittering ceremony at Belfast’s Crowne Plaza Hotel, as 18 prizes were handed out to 11 different sports, highlighting a superb year of success for our sporting icons.
Football was the most successful sport, scooping four awards, with three prizes given to golf in the year where The Open Championship returned to our shores at Royal Portrush.
Swimming and motor racing were also popular winners as they both received two awards each.
But it was Rea who scooped the top prize after another sensational year as he held off the challenge of Spain’s Alvaro Bautista and his Ducati Panigale to make it an unprecedented five World Superbike titles in a row.
The 32-year-old is now the most successful World Superbike rider of all time, surpassing Carl Fogarty, and the Ballyclare man is determined to make it six on the trot in 2020.
“I’m honoured and thrilled to have won the Belfast Telegraph Sports Star of the Year Award once again and I particularly want to thank the public who took the time to nominate me,” commented Rea, who appeared via video-link from Jerez, where he has started testing ahead of the new season.
“Honestly, it means so much, especially as I prepare for the 2020 World Superbike season ahead.”
Rea has also announced that he will donate his winnings from the first race of the 2020 season at Phillip Island to the Australian bushfire effort.
Rea’s in-laws, parents of wife Tatia, live in north east Victoria, which has been ravaged by the bushfires in recent weeks.
STUART McCloskey is now back in the frame for Ireland selection after his surprise call-up to coach Andy Farrell’s Six Nations squad.
After having been controversially left out of Farrell’s 35-man squad, the in-form 27-year-old centre (below) got the nod last night to join the national camp ahead of Ireland’s opener against Scotland in Dublin on February 1.
“Stu has been playing well over the past few weeks and played well again at the weekend (against Bath),” Farrell said regarding McCloskey’s call-up.
“Centre is a very competitive area in the squad and with a few backs picking up small niggles at the weekend Stu is the form back who will be added to the group to give extra options.”
Though an official IRFU release last night stated that there were no significant injury issues ahead of the squad coming together today, Munster centre Chris Farrell was unable to play last weekend due to a knee issue, which also accounted for Keith Earls, while Jordan Larmour picked up a knock playing for Leinster in Treviso.
McCloskey has played only three times for Ireland since making his debut against England in 2016 and last featured in November 2018 against the United States.
With McCloskey now involved, Ulster have nine players in Ireland’s Six Nations squad.