Break as good as a rest on hectic sporting weekend
AFTER a succession of hectic sporting weekends, I experienced a bit of a lull last weekend and to be honest I was kind of glad of the break!
Don’t get me wrong, there was still plenty going on in the world of sport, like the Heineken Cup semi-finals, the National Hurling League final and the English FA Cup semi-finals, but I chose to watch them all from afar as I caught up with lots of those house and garden chores that require attention at this time of the year.
Where that annual green scum on the kids trampoline comes from, I will never know. And as for the rotten leaves and wet black gunk that clogs up the gutter... is somebody actually putting it in there on purpose?
Anyway, the job of work has started, but it’s a long way from being completed.
Tune in next week for the latest instalment.
I also took a bit of time-out to myself over the past few Sunday mornings and got back up on the bicycle.
The ‘rothar’ hasn’t seen the light of day since last June or July but the serenity of the Irish countryside at 7am on a fresh Spring morning is well worth making the effort.
Such was my enthusiasm to get out again on two wheels with the wind in my face that I momentarily forgot the fractious relationship between my rear end and the saddle. This ongoing struggle continues!
The previous Sunday morning I was out around the picturesque villages of Annagassan, Togher and Clogherhead where I encountered a group of hungry seals looking for an easy breakfast from the local fishing trawlers.
Last weekend I travelled south and paid a call to our Meath neighbours visiting Donore, Duleek and Bettystown.
A particular hello to the speeding white van driver who put me in the ditch on the hill next to the Battle of the Boyne site. I hope you arrived safely, wherever you were going!
With the kids heading back to school this week, they were off to bed early on Sunday night so I sat down to catch up on the weekend action. THE hurling was first up and I was very surprised at the ‘hiding’ Galway gave Tipp in the League final in Limerick.
Sixteen points is a fair thumping in anybody’s language but in a year where they want to put back-to-back All-Irelands together for the first time since the 1960s, Tipperary have to be concerned.
Galway haven’t won the Liam McCarthy since their two-in-a-row of 1987 and 1988 when their half back line of Finnerty, Keady and McInerney wrote their names in history. And but for the occasional flash in the pan, they’ve been in the wilderness since. Could this be their year? Hard to say but this result adds a new layer of intrigue to the hurling summer. ALTHOUGH I tried not to, I unfortunately heard both rugby results beforehand therefore I couldn’t €10 ew on the Young Master in the Bet 365 Gold Cup at Punchestown really get into either of the Munster or Leinster semi-final games.
Both provinces had their chances but the consensus of opinion appears to be that they were beaten by the better teams.
The French Top 14 outfit Clermont will now face reigning European champions Saracens in the May 13th final in Edinburgh. There could be lots of pre-booked Irish in Murrayfield watching on. AND finally before I headed off to bed I watched brief highlights of the two FA Cup semi-finals. With the advent of wall-to-wall satellite TV soccer coverage, the mystical aura that once surrounded the FA Cup has faded gradually year on year.
Those heady days are gone for good and the once jewel in the crown is now just another competition in the football calendar. I couldn’t tell you who won the trophy over the last few seasons and would struggle to even tell you last year’s winners without the help of google.
This season’s last four were all big hitters. Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and Man City. Although I was always traditionally a Spurs fan I was indifferent about the result of either game. For the record Arsenal will play Chelsea in the final. PAUL Nicholls’ horse Vicente added €160 to our Sideline Bet winnings on Saturday as he won the Scottish Grand National for the second year in a succession at Ayr.
This week we go for The Young Master at 12/1 in the Bet365 Gold Cup at the Punchestown festival on Saturday.