VOLLEYBALL: Want to sponsor an elite Irish sporting team?
The Irish men’s volleyball team have just re-launched their ingenious raffle with sponsorship of the European Cup team the top prize.
For just a couple of euro, the winner has the chance of getting their company’s name printed on the team uniform. They will also receive their own personalised jersey and become an honoured guest at all Irish volleyball matches.
Two years ago, the squad first used this method of raising funds for their international campaign. So successful did it prove that they are again using this means of funding their trip to next year’s European Cup qualifying tournament.
Training for the squad has already started and they gained valuable experience when they played Dutch pro team Sliedrecht in a couple of pre-season “friendlies”. Squad training is taking place once a month with junior squad players now included in the set-up. All players are monitored for fitness by Richard Rocher of Pro Performance, who is giving his services for free, as is sports psychologist Julieanne McAuliffe.
“We went to Andorra last time to learn. Now we want to qualify for the main tournament. We’re got to move up a level,” says national coach Laurent Cauet.
* Tickets for the raffle from any member of the Irish volleyball squad (see Facebook), with the raffle taking place in the Goat Grill, Dublin, on November 13.
SNOOKER: Rodney Goggins from the 147 SC Wexford beat Celbridge player John Sutton 5-3 to win the RIBSA Classic, the opening ranking tournament of the season, in the Ivy Rooms, Carlow.
Sutton had a great tournament, beating former pro Brendan O’Donoghue from New Institute in the quarter-finals before toppling Maynooth’s Vincent Muldoon 4-2 in the semis. Goggins had a narrow 4-3 victory over Colm Gilcreest of Celbridge in the semi-finals. The high break prize went to Celbridge’s TJ Dowling with a superb 122.
SKIING: Junior skier Matthew Mitchel proved best of the locals when he finished seventh in the international race at the Irish Dry Slope Skiing Championships held at Kilternan, Co Dublin. Just one place behind Mitchell was another junior, Cillian Worrall, while in 10th place was senior Shane McShera.
Finished 11th in the women’s Irish Open was 16-year-old Lauren O’Riordan, with her Ski Club of Ireland clubmates Niamh Lyons and Meabh Byrne close behind. Brian Byrne finished fourth in the men’s Irish Open, with Shane McShera eighth.
TRIATHLON: Olympic hopefuls Aileen Morrison and Gavin Noble are in Mexcio for Sunday’s Huatulco Triathlon World Cup in Mexico. Morrison has every reason to be confident of a good result after her season’s best 4th place in the Yokohama World Championship Series race last month. Noble is aiming ot get back on track after dropping out in Yokohama. After Japan, the pair, both in line for London 2012 qualification, travelled to Florida for a two-week training camp.
Also in action on Sunday is Conor Murphy who competes in the Mombasa Triathlon African Cup in Kenya.
No comments yet.