February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
IRELAND 35, RUSSIA 3
After traveling seven times zones to deepest Siberia, they played badly, won ugly and headed home with the job done. Keith Wood was probably the worst player on the pitch, but he got the 14th try of his international career.
Other notables were Girvan Dempsey, who scored two tries, Ronan O’Gara, who collected himself after some early misses to kick six goals, and Malcolm O’Kelly, who got through a huge amount of work and snaffled a try for himself.
Ireland: Dempsey 2, Wood, O’Kelly tries; O’Gara 3 pens., 3 cons. Russia: Pieterse pen.
MINOR FOOTBALL
Derry 1-12, MEATH 0-8
It’s always hard to look at two teams coming into a final like this and know what they’re thinking about themselves. Take Derry. They hadn’t had to stretch their legs since early July when they edged past Tyrone in the Ulster final. Since then they’d swatted Tipperary aside in the All-Ireland quarterfinal and destroyed Longford in the semifinal. They were scoring points for fun, goals for frolics. How would they approach a final in that case? Surely they couldn’t expect to dominate again? Surely not against Meath?
Well, that’s what they did. They came to Croke Park Sunday with a strut and a swagger and they slapped Meath about like bullies in a playground, winning the All-Ireland minor football title. They outscored them by 7 points and still managed 15 wides. Meath managed just 10 shots at goal.
Derry: R. Convery 1-0, C. O’Cane 0-3, J. Bateson 0-3 (1 free), C. Moran 0-2, B. McGoldrick 0-2, C. Mullan 0-2. Meath: B. Farrell 0-7 (5 frees), D. Murthagh 0-1).
BOXING
O’MALLEY RETURNS
Lightweight prizefighter Martin O’Malley returns to New York this week to begin the buildup for an Oct. 13 non-title bout against Mexican Yoni Vargas at the Regent Wall Street Hotel in lower Manhattan.
The match will be the co-feature on an ESPN televised card that will also feature hard-hitting junior middleweight sensation Tokunbo Olajide. It will be the 26-year-old O’Malley’s first appearance on national television since his TKO loss to now World Boxing Association champion Leonard Dorin in Atlantic City last year.
O’Malley, who is 19-1 (14 KOs), is coming off a 10-round points win over Texan Jesse Gutierrez last June.
GOLF
HEANEY MEMORIAL
A charity golf outing in memory of Frank “Ruac