Friday 29 December 2017
SPORTS PREVIEW
Friday 29 December 2017
– – – – – PLEASE SCROLL DOWN the page to find the SATURDAY PREVIEW
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Friday 29 December 2017
FOOTBALL
Championship – Cardiff v Preston North End, 7:45pm, Sky Sports Football – Millwall v QPR, 7:45pm
League One – Doncaster Rovers v Rochdale, 7:45pm – Wigan Athletic v Charlton Athletic, 7:45pm
League Two – Morecambe v Yeovil Town, 7:45pm
Scottish Championship – St Mirren v Dundee United, 7:45pm, BT Sport 2
Northern Irish Premiership – Carrick Rangers v Ballinamallard United, 7:45pm
Serie A – Crotone v Napoli, 7:45pm, BT Sport Extra 2 (Red Button)
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HORSERACING
Today’s meetings:
Kelso – Abandoned due to snow and frost
Southwell, 12:15pm – A seven-race card on the fibresand, with field-sizes of 12-8-7-8-8-9 & 12; jockeys in action include Luke Morris, Fran Berry, Tom Eaves, Ben Curtis, Stevie Donohoe, Shane Gray, Dougie Costello, Rossa Ryan, Andrew Mullen, Robert Winston, Kieran O’Neill and Callum Shepherd
Leopardstown, 12:20pm – The feature races are the €100,000 Grade 1 Ryanair Hurdle (2:30pm, two miles), where the Willie Mullins trained Faugheen will be a red-hot favourite under Paul Townend, the €85,000 Grade 1 Neville Hotels Novice Chase (1:55pm, 3 miles), where Monalee will be a well-fancied favourite for trainer Henry de Bromhead, and the €40,000 Grade 3 Willis Towers Watson Irish EBF Mares’ Hurdle (1:20pm, 2m4f), where the nine-runner field includes Let’s Dance, Forge Meadow, Karalee and British raider Lady Buttons, who is trained in North Yorkshire by Philip Kirby
Doncaster – Abandoned due to freezing conditions
Limerick, 12:30 – A seven-race card, where the feature race is the €44,500 Grade 2 Guinness Novice Hurdle (2:10pm, three miles), with five declared to run, including likely-favourite Ainsi Va La Vie, one of two runners for Willie Mullins; jockeys in action on the card include Bryan Cooper, Danny Mullins, Andrew Lynch, Jamie Codd, Keith Donoghue, Jonathan Moore, Jonathan Burke, Kevin Sexton and Brian Hayes; closely related to a French Grade 3 chase winner, Crezic runs for Gordon Elliott in the bumper
They also race at Jebel Ali (10:30am) in the UAE; jockeys in action on the card include Silvestre de Sousa, Jim Crowley, Tadhg O’Shea, Connor Beasley, Dane O’Neill, Pat Cosgrave, Richard Mullen, Royston Ffrench, Sam Hitchcott, Colm O’Donoghue, Pat Dobbs, John Egan and Adam McLean; later in the shops it is Club Hipico (5:23pm) in Chile
The Turf TV USA line-up is: Gulfstream, 5pm, Aqueduct, 5:20pm, Tampa Bay Downs, 5:25pm, Laurel Park, 5:30pm, Santa Anita, 8:31pm, and Golden Gate Fields, 8:45pm
The South African meetings are Fairview (10:10am) and Greyville (3:20pm)
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GREYHOUNDS
Today’s line-up:
10:31am – KINSLEY
10:38am – SWINDON
2:08pm – HOVE
2:18pm – MONMORE
6:28pm – NOTTINGHAM
6:33pm – CRAYFORD
6:39pm – SHEFFIELD
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AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Week 17
Sunday December 31 – Sixteen games from 6pm to 9:25pm – it is the final week of the Regular season in the NFL
Sunday, 6pm – Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons – plus 11 other games at this time
Sunday, 9:25pm – four games
Military Bowl – Navy Midshipmen v Virginia Cavaliers, 6:30pm, BT Sport ESPN
Camping World Bowl – Oklahoma State Cowboys v Virginia Tech Hokies, 10:15pm, BT Sport ESPN
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BASKETBALL
There are nine NBA matches scheduled for today, with start times ranging from midnight to 3:30am – i.e. late Friday night/early Saturday morning
Live:
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
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BOXING/UFC
Check out this website – http://boxingschedule.boxingsociety.com/
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CRICKET
Test Match (Ashes Series) – Australia v England, 11:30pm, day five (final day), BT Sport 1
Test Match – South Africa v Zimbabwe, 11:30am, Sky Sports Cricket
International T20 – New Zealand v West Indies, 2pm
Australian Big Bash League – Melbourne Renegades v Perth Scorchers, 8:10am
New Zealand Super Smash – Central Districts v Northern Districts, 3am – i.e. late Friday night/early Saturday morning
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DARTS
Coming up on the PDC calendar:
The 2017/2018 William Hill World Darts Championship takes place from Alexandra Palace (Ally Pally) in London from Thursday December 14 to Monday January 01 – Play resumes after a three-day Christmas break – live coverage is on Sky Sports Main Event/ Sky Sports Darts at 12:30pm and 7pm
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GAA
Upcoming fixtures – see www.hoganstand.com
The next set of games are scheduled for Saturday December 30th – Round One of the O’Byrne Cup, McGrath Cup, Walsh Cup, Kehoe Cup and Munster SHL
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GOLF
USPGA Tour – Sentry Tournament of Champions, Maui, Hawaii, Jan 4-7, 2018
PGA European Tour – BMW SA Open, Gauteng, South Africa, Jan 11-14, 2018
USLPGA Tour – the next tournament will take place in 2018
USPGA Champions Tour – the next tournament will take place in 2018
Seniors Tour, Europe – the next tournament will take place in 2018
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ICE HOCKEY
There are eleven NHL matches taking place today, with start times ranging from midnight to 3am on Friday – i.e. late Friday night/early Saturday morning
Live:
Detroit Red Wings v New York Rangers, 12:30am, eir Sport 2
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RUGBY UNION
Friday 29 December
Aviva Premiership – Bath v Wasps, 7:45pm, BT Sport 1
The Championship – Doncaster v Yorkshire Carnegie, 7:45, Sky Sports Action – Nottinham v London Scottish, 7:45pm
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SNOOKER
Dafabet Masters, London, Alexandra Palace 14 January – 21 January
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TENNIS
Today – Tennis World Championships – Day two of the six man event at the Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, 10:30am and 1pm, Eurosport 2
Upcoming tournaments:
ATP, Qatar Open, Doha, Jan 1-7
ATP, Maharashtra Open, Pune, India, Jan 1-7
ATP & WTA, Brisbane International, Australia, Jan 1-7
WTA, Shenzhen Open, Jan 1-7
WTA, ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, Jan 1-7
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Saturday 30 December 2017
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FOOTBALL
Saturday Dec 30
Premier League – Six games at 3pm, including Liverpool v Leicester, Sky Sports Premier League ROI, plus Manchester United v Southampton, 5:30pm, BT Sport 1
Scottish Premiership – Celtic v Rangers, 12pm, Sky Sports Football/Main Event – Five games at 3pm
Championship – Nine games at 3pm – Bristol City v Wolves, 5:30pm, Sky Sports Football/Main Event
League One – Ten games at 3pm
League Two – Eleven games at 3pm
National League – Aldershot Town v Maidstone Utd, 12:30pm, BT Sport 1 – Eleven games at 3pm
Scottish Championship – Four games at 3pm
Scottish League One – Five games at 3pm
Scottish League Two – Four games at 3pm
Northern Ireland Premiership – Five games at 3pm
Serie A – Fiorentina v AC Milan, 11:30am, eir Sport 1/BT Sport 3 – Six games at 2pm, including Roma v Sassuolo, eir Sport 1 – Inter Milan v Lazio, 5pm, eir Sport 1/BT Sport 3 – Verona v Juventus, 7:45pm, eir Sport 1/BT Sport 3
Australian A-League – Adelaide Utd v Brisbane Roar, 6:30am, BT Sport 3 – Sydney FC v Perth Glory, 8:50am, BT Sport 3
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HORSERACING
Today’s meetings:
Lingfield, 11:30am – An eight-race card on the all-weather track where jockeys in action include Fran Berry, Oisin Murphy, Josephine Gordon, Luke Morris, Adam Kirby, Tom Marquand and Dougie Costello
Haydock, 11:50pm – The feature race is the £22,000 Last Fling Handicap Chase (2:10pm); field-sizes are 5-3-6-9-10-8 and 5; jockeys in action include Brian Hughes, Danny Cook, Will Kennedy and Daryl Jacob; the card opens with a handicap hurdle for conditional jockeys
Newbury, 12:05pm – The feature race is the £40,000 Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle (3pm); also on the card is the £18,000 Mandarin Handicap Chase (2:25pm), named after one of the greatest chasers of all time – he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Hennessy Gold Cup and Grand Steeplechase de Paris in a marvellous career
Taunton, 12:15pm – The feature race is the £20,000 totetrifecta Mares’ Novice Hurdle (Listed Race, 3:15pm); the final race on the card is for conditional jockeys (a handicap hurdle); Sam Twiston-Davies is among the jockeys riding on the card
Later in the shops it is Philadelphia (5:25pm) in the USA
The Turf TV USA/Canada line-up is: Laurel Park, 5pm, Gulfstream, 5:01pm, Aqueduct, 5:20pm, Tampa Bay Downs, 5:25pm, Santa Anita, 8:30pm, and Golden Gate Fields, 8:45pm
The South African meeting is Turffontein (10:30am), where the feature race is the Grade 3 Lebelo Sprint (2pm, 5f, 3yo+)
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GREYHOUNDS
Today’s line-up:
10:03am – TRALEE
10:06am – TOWCESTER
10:31am – ROMFORD
10:38am – CRAYFORD
2:24pm – NEWCASTLE
3:08pm – POOLE
6:28pm – CENTRAL PARK
6:33pm – MONMORE
6:39pm – SUNDERLAND
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AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Week 17
Sunday December 31 – Sixteen games from 6pm to 9:25pm – it is the final week of the Regular season in the NFL
Sunday, 6pm – Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons – plus 11 other games at this time
College Football:
Liberty Bowl – Iowa State Cyclones @ Memphis Tigers, 6:15pm, BT Sport 2
TaxSlayer Bowl – TBC @ TBC, 5pm, BT Sport ESPN
Fiesta Bowl – TBC @ TBC, 9pm, BT Sport ESPN
Orange Bowl – TBC @ TBC, 1am, BT Sport ESPN
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BASKETBALL
There are nine NBA matches scheduled for today, with start times ranging from midnight to 3:30am – i.e. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
Live:
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Utah Jazz, 1am, BT Sport 3, – i.e. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Vanderbilt Commodores @ Florida Gators, 9pm, BT Sport 2
Texas A&M Aggies @ Alabama Crimson Tide, 11pm, BT Sport 2
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BOXING/UFC
Check out this website – http://boxingschedule.boxingsociety.com/
UFC:
UFC 219 Prelims, 1am, BT Sport 1, – i.e. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
UFC 219 – Main Event – Cris Cyborg v Holly Holm, in a women’s featherweight title bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, plus Khabib Nurmagomedov v Edson Barboza and Jimmie Rivera v John Lineker3am, BT Sport 1, – i.e. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
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CRICKET
Saturday Dec 30
Test Match – South Africa v Zimbabwe, 11:30am, final day
Australian Big Bash League – Hobart Hurricanes v Sydney Thunder, 8:10am, BT Sport 2 and Adelaide Strikers v Brisbane Heat, 2:30am, BT Sport 2, – i.e. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
New Zealand Super Smash – Wellington v Otago, 3:10am – i.e. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
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DARTS
Coming up on the PDC calendar:
The 2017/2018 William Hill World Darts Championship takes place from Alexandra Palace (Ally Pally) in London from Thursday December 14 to Monday January 01 – day 14 (semi-finals) – live coverage is on Sky Sports Darts, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Mix, 7:30pm
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GAA
Upcoming fixtures – see www.hoganstand.com – The next set of games are scheduled for Saturday December 30th – Round One of the O’Byrne Cup, McGrath Cup, Walsh Cup, Kehoe Cup and Munster SHL
Saturday 30 December
O’Byrne Cup round 1
Offaly v Wexford, O’Connor Park, 2pm
Louth v Longford, Gaelic Grounds, 2pm
Wicklow v Carlow, Bray, 2pm
Westmeath v Laois, TEG Cusack Park, 2pm
McGrath Cup round 1
Clare v Waterford, Meelick, 2pm
Walsh Cup round 1
Carlow v Wicklow A, Netwatch Cullen Park, 2pm
Kildare v Laois, Hawkfield, 2pm
Meath v Antrim, Trim, 2pm
Offaly v Westmeath, Birr, 2pm
Munster SHL round 1
Clare v Kerry, Sixmilebridge, 2pm
Cork v Limerick, Mallow, 5pm
Kehoe Cup round 1
Longford v Louth, Glennon Bros Pearse Park, 2pm
Sunday 31 January
Kehoe Cup round 1
Wicklow B v DCU-St Patricks, Kilcoole, 2pm
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GOLF
USPGA Tour – Sentry Tournament of Champions, Maui, Hawaii, Jan 4-7, 2018
PGA European Tour – BMW SA Open, Gauteng, South Africa, Jan 11-14, 2018
USLPGA Tour – the next tournament will take place in 2018
USPGA Champions Tour – the next tournament will take place in 2018
Seniors Tour, Europe – the next tournament will take place in 2018
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ICE HOCKEY
There are six NHL matches taking place today, with start times ranging from midnight to 3am on Sunday – i.e. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
Live games:
Montreal Canadiens @ Florida Panthers, midnight, eir Sport 2
Los Angeles Kings @ Vancouver Canucks, 3am, eir Sport 2, – i.e. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
Spengler Cup:
First semi-final, 2pm, eir Sport 2 – Second semi-final, 7pm, eir Sport 2
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RUGBY UNION
Saturday 30 December
Aviva Premiership – Four games, with three getting underway at 3pm, and Harlequins v Northampton Saints, 4pm, Channel 5/BT Sport 2
French Top 14 –La Rochelle v Agen, 1pm, Sky Sports Action – Stade Francais v Bordeaux-Begles, 3pm – Two games at 5pm – Toulouse v Toulon, 7:45, Sky Sports Action
Pro 14 – Zebre v Benetton Rugby, 2pm – Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh, 3:15pm, Sky Sports Action/Main Event
The Championship – Hartpury College v Rotherham Titans, 2:30pm – Two games at 3pm
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SNOOKER
Dafabet Masters, London, Alexandra Palace, 14 January – 21 January
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TENNIS
Today – Tennis World Championships – Day three (final day) of the six man event at the Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, 1pm and 3pm, Eurosport 2 – and the Hopman Cup, day one of the team competition at the Perth Arena in Australia, 9:30am, Eurosport 2
Upcoming tournaments:
ATP, Qatar Open, Doha, Jan 1-7
ATP, Maharashtra Open, Pune, India, Jan 1-7
ATP & WTA, Brisbane International, Australia, Jan 1-7, day one, 3:30am, BT Sport 3 – i.e. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
WTA, Shenzhen Open, Jan 1-7, day one, 5am, BT Sport ESPN – i.e. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
WTA, ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, Jan 1-7
Posted: 29th December 2017