From Adrian Russell:
Harrington makes Major breakthrough
Anywhere else, Pádraig Harrington might have walked off the 18th green knowing his two shots that found the bottom of Barry Burn for double bogey had cost him the British Open.
The label of choker would rattle louder and he would not go on to win the USPGA and the Open again in the space of 13 months.
He wouldn’t be the Harrington we know today.
But at Carnoustie, calamity can — and probably will — strike at any time, and did, during the 2007 final round.
In a nail-bitting Sunday evening finish, Harrington delivered the fitting climax to a day that kept everyone guessing.
He took a two-shot lead to the final hole of a play-off, and still had to sweat out a three-foot bogey putt to beat Sergio Garcia.
He became the first Irishman in 60 years with his name on the famous claret jug and elevated himself to the elite status.
We don’t like cricket, we love it
Sometimes the sporting scriptwriters phone it in. Take a rag-tag bunch of amateur Irish cricket players, cast as the underdogs against the game’s elite at the World Cup in Jamaica.
It’s not Cool Runnings in whites, but Ireland’s breakthough performance in the game.
And in a delicious twist, the Blarney Army enjoyed their most famous win on St Patrick’s Day as the talismanic Trent Johnston hit to clinch victory over Pakistan.
Amazingly, the Irish went on to reach the Super Eights, and the sport in this country has taken long strides since.
Cats in emotional All-Ireland win
Kilkenny clicking up through the All-Ireland SHC roll of honour is hardly news — particularly when the season culminated in a facile final win over Limerick. But this victory was marked by its emotion.
Veteran goalkeeper James McGarry lost his wife Vanessa in a tragic road traffic accident in July. Though he had given up his place on the Kilkenny team, when successor PJ Ryan fractured his arm in the semi-final with Wexford, it looked like McGarry may be forced to make a highly-charged cameo.
Though Ryan recovered, captain Henry Shefflin lifted the Liam MacCarthy with James’ son in a poignant and classy tribute.
Cyprus humiliation
Perhaps Trapattoni’s greatest victory has been dulling the pain of this traumatic night in Nicosia, which so summed up the colourless days
under Steve Staunton.
Stan watched on as Ireland suffered the most embarrassing defeat in the nation’s footballing history, shipping five goals to the Cypriots in a nightmare evening in the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.
After Stephen Ireland’s early strike, goals from Michalis Constantinou and Alexis Garpozis put Cyprus ahead. Richard Dunne levelled before half-time but Constantinou’s penalty restored the Cyprus lead on 50 minutes.
Two Constantinos Charalambidis goals plus Richard Dunne’s sending off completed Ireland’s awful evening.
History at Croker
As Tony Blair might say, Ireland’s rugby players felt the hand of history on their shoulders as the teams lined out for the highly-charged national anthems as Ireland played England for the first time at Croke Park.
After the exhausting and tense build up, God Save the Queen was observed by Hill 16 and everywhere else, impeccably. Our own anthem was sung with such gusto that John Hayes’ tears zig-zagged down his big face as Croker rocked.
Then a rugby game broke out. It’s more than a historical footnote: Ireland hammered the visitors
Personal memory
Though Pádraig Harrington is a musical athlete with jazz in his swing; Rory McIlroy is a born rock star. And while the old maestro took top billing at the Open with his victory, the Holywood teen announced his arrival to the world with an equally-impressive display. McIlroy finished as top amateur and hasn’t looked back
This post first appeared on www.adrianrussell.net
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