Irish Sports Desk Ailing Best still in London hospital

By Sean Creedon

Former Northern Ireland international George Best is still in a London hospital after a being admitted last week with a liver complaint. Best’s long history of drinking appears to have finally caught up with him.

Best was always a modest chap, but English journalist Brian Madley, who was, and is still, a good friend of the legend, tells a story that may surprise a few people.

At an after dinner function in Australia many years ago, where Best and Madley were at the head table, Madley was asked if Best was the best player he had ever seen? Madley replied that, no, he was the second best; Pele was the best.

Later, Best chastised his journalist friend saying: ”Do you think if I had played for Brazil and Pele played for Northern Ireland, you’d still be saying the same thing?” A very interesting point.

Club finals an all-ticket affair

With the old Hogan Stand demolished Croke Park is now a bit like many GAA grounds around Ireland were 20 or 30 years ago — when you could get a free view of the game from the road. If you walk down Jones Road these days you can see the famous pitch from the road, but on St. Patrick’s Day you will need a ticket to get in to see the AIB All-Ireland club finals. With the Hogan demolished and the Canal End not yet complete, the attendance will be confined to Hill 16 and the new Cusack Stand.

With four counties represented, hence the need to make it all-ticket. Dublin champions Na Fianna will be the odd ones out, as the three other participants on Friday have won the club final at GAA headquarters.

The Dubs have improved greatly since they acquired Mick Galvin from Dublin neighbors St. Oliver Plunketts and the Armagh pair Des Macken and Kieran McGeeney. But I still fancy the reigning champions Crossmaglen Rangers to keep their title.

In the hurling final holders Doora Barefield from Clare face Athenry, who won the title three years ago.

The club finals will be the first of 33 games to be televised live by RTE this year. In addition to the big championship games, RTE will show the National League finals, the camogie and women’s final and the international series against Australia in October.

All eyes on Istabraq

The Irish pound is very weak against Sterling at present, but that won’t prevent thousands of Irish punters heading for Cheltenham this week for the annual National Hunt Festival. J.P. McManus’s Istabraq is probably a banker to make it three Champions Hurdle titles in a row, but at odds of three-to-one on, he will not be worth backing.

Limestone Lad has been impressive of late at Irish race courses, but he will be making his first trip outside of Ireland to run in the Stayers Hurdle.

The big one tomorrow, March 16, is the Gold Cup, where Ireland’s best hopes, Florida Pearl and Doran’s Pride, are unlikely to get the better of English-trained See More Business.

Ruggers morale high

Ireland will play their first-ever Six Nations game on a Sunday when they meet France in Paris. After great wins

over Scotland and Italy, morale is sky high in the Irish camp, but everybody knows that France in Paris is a different ball-game. Ireland have not won in Paris since 1972 and if Warren Gatland’s can end that barren spell then the New Zealander’s job should be safe for another

year.

Meath’s Murphy faces ban

The GAA’s Games Administration Committee will meet next Wednesday to hand down punishment to Meath’s Ollie Murphy. The corner-forward was sent off when he appeared to head butt Derry’ s Sean Martin Lockart in the recent League game at Celtic Park. Murphy could get a three-month ban, which would rule him out of the latter

stages of the National Football League.

Westwood to defend

This year’s Smurfit European Open will carry record prize money of £1.5 million sterling. The competition will be held at the K Club in Kildare from July 6-9 and last year’s winner Lee Westwood will be back to defend his title.

Kelly keeps the peace

Sean Kelly has denied that the Munster GAA Council are planning to segregate Clare and Tipperary supporters if the counties meet in this year’s Munster Hurling championship. Kelly, the Munster chairman, had secretly met with senior officials from both counties in Limerick

recently, but he says the meeting was convened to ensure that "good sporting rivalry" is maintained between the two counties.

"There is great rivalry between Clare and Tipperary and everyone wants to see that competition maintained in a sporting manner," he said. "However, there is a tiny minority that are going a bit too far and both sides want to get across the message that they should cool it."

So, there you are. As the old saying goes, no smoke without fire.

The Munster Council are obviously worried about the nasty feelings that have built up between the neighboring counties in recent years.

Horan quits Laois

Former Offaly star Padraig Horan has resigned as manager of the Laois senior hurlers. Horan’s selectors, Kevin Broderick, Martin Cashin and Noely Foynes, have also decided to stand down following a heavy League defeat by Kilkenny. Now the Laois County Board will have to get a new manager and selectors in place for the Leinster championship, which is only two months away.

FAI may pull song switch

The Irish Foootball Assocation are considering dropping the playing of "God Save the Queen" before soccer internationals in Belfast and replacing it instead with "Danny Boy"

When the IFA implement their community-relations policy, it’s likely that the change will be made, but probably until after the 2002 World Cup.

"Dropping ‘God Save the Queen’ was an option if a revived peace process could restore the Assembly and its power to fund the association’s community program," IFA spokesman John Quinn said.

At present two songs are played at Lansdowne Road at the start of Rugby internationals – Amhran na bhFiann and the Phil Coulter composition "Ireland’s Call," which is sung by all the players linking arms.