Sports Shorts

Magheracloone get that sinking feelingMagheracloone Mitchells, the Monaghan club most well known for producing all star corner forward Tommy Freeman and the talismanic Niamh Kindlon, found themselves in the media for an altogether different reason this week. Several fissures and sinkholes opened up across their grounds in Kevin O’Reilly Park near Carrickmacross. The reason? The ground itself was built upon the remains of an old gypsum mine. The club has since launched a GoFundMe campaign which, at the time of writing, has raised €6,400, while club chairman Francie Jones has confirmed that the club are set to be without the use of the grounds for a number of years. Several houses and a local national school were also evacuated due to the collapse.FAI look to go globalWith much of the recent discussion surrounding the Republic of Ireland national team focusing on who Roy Keane has fallen out with now, the FAI looked to raise spirits in a way that only they can; by plotting a bid for the 2030 World Cup. Last week, news broke that the association had taken part in a feasibility study, along with the British football governing bodies, with a view to bidding for the game’s showpiece event. The stadia involved are likely to be the Aviva and Croke Park, which disappointingly rules out the possibility of Kylian Mbappe lighting up Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney and the world’s media converging upon McHale Park. It must be said however that unlike Lusail, the Qatari city that will host the 2022 final, Castlebar holds a significant trump card due to the fact that it has already been built.Browns break the streakIn a hard luck streak that would make even Mayo GAA fans balk, the FirstEnergy Stadium last week saw the NFL’s Cleveland Browns pick up their first win in 19 attempts against the New York Jets, in an event that saw Bud Light open fridges of free beer across the city for fans to enjoy. Since their last win on Christmas Eve of 2016, Dublin have won two more All-Irelands, Tiger Woods has climbed more than 1,000 places in the golf world rankings, and Sam Allardyce has managed another two clubs to Premier League safety. However, perhaps the most pertinent question is how long have those beers been waiting to be opened?Davis calls it a dayStaying stateside, in another remarkable incident in the NFL, Buffalo Bills cornerback Vontae Davis retired at half time in their recent clash with the LA Chargers, a game in which he was playing. In a move that anyone who’s sat through a 9am double lecture will understand, Davis removed himself from the game at the interval, simply saying “I shouldn’t be out there anymore”. The former Miami Dolphins player is far from the first person to want desperately to leave their job, but with a contract worth $5 million annually and ten years of NFL experience under his belt, Davis is unlikely to be spotted at a jobcentre any time soon. All the same, the 30 year old’s announcement is likely to have made that particular half time break one of sport’s more memorable.