GARETH Turnbull faces the prospect of competing in the World Cross-Country Championships in Turin in March following a magnificent fourth place at the European meeting in Belgium at the weekend.
Turnbull, in his own words, ran the best tactical race of his life in Sunday’s junior men’s event at the European Championship meeting in Charleroi.
The junior race at Charleroi did not have championship status but most of the top young Europeans were in the 80- strong field.
The Belfast youngster, who after this year will have two more seasons in the junior grade, finished only 20 seconds behind Dutch winner Jal Leebers.
World-class talent Leebers, who has a 1500m track personal best of 3.40, finished fourth in the metric mile event at the World Juniors in Sydney four months ago
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TYRONE’S Peter Canavan was last night waiting on the results of a scan on his ankle to determine whether he will be able to play National League football after Christmas.
Canavan had the scan in the Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast yesterday but will not be told of the results until his specialist in the Royal Hospital has also examined them.
Although he has not been able to run since sustaining the injury in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat against Meath, the 25-year-old last night said the injury had cleared up well in the last 2-3 weeks and he was hopeful of returning to county training after Christmas.
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VINNIE Jones ate humble pie to save his job as Wimbledon skipper yesterday after being fined a week’s wages, estimated at £4000, for a mickey-taking article about his team-mates.
The chastened Welsh midfielder, who also donated his £2000 fee from the newspaper to the players’ pool, insists he has learned his lesson.
But chairman Sam Hammam, who received a personal apology along with manager Joe Kinnear and every individual player, believes Jones came very close to destroying his position as captain and inspiration of the old Crazy Gang spirit.
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JIM Conlon, the Holy Trinity featherweight, received the best boxer award after a dozen good contests in the Falls Bowling and Lawn Tennis club in Andersonstown last weekend.
A runner-up in the Ulster Seniors 10 months ago, the Irish international always had that bit too much ring craft for Carrickmore’s Declan Donnelly.
Commonwealth Championship gold medalist and Olympic flyweight quarter-final Damaen Kelly produced a lively exhibition bout against his chief Championship sparring partner Eamonn Brannigan of Dockers ABC.
Francis Webb, who boxed with distinction in South Africa recently, made a successful return to the local ring when he outpointed Tyrone challenger Raymond Heagney.
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YET another member of The Grand Old Team has gone to his paradise in the sky. Harry Walker died on the golf course at the weekend and as he is laid to rest another link with the great Belfast Celtic is severed.
Harry was described as “the greatest uncapped halfback in the history of local football”.
He had a chequered career in the Irish league, joining Belfast Celtic in 1932 after spells with Glentoran,
Broadway United, Ards and Linfield.
He wore the green and white for over 17 illustrious years before taking over as player-manager of Ards and later Glenavon, with whom he won the championship, after the demise of Celtic
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Irish News SQUARE BALL columnist Ian Prior said:
WE hereby announce the start of a brand new Square Ball campaign. We want letters sent to Jack Boothman, mass demonstrations on Jones’s Road and a boycott of official programmes.
The cause is a worthy one: Bring GAA back to Croke Park.
Let us explain: Devotees of hurling in Ulster will be doubtless pleased to note the lovely Christmas present handed to them last week by the GAA’s Central Council.
Not content with making the northern champions play an All-Ireland quarter-final against the runners-up from either Leinster or Munster, the nobility have now decided that these self-same fixtures will be unworthy to grace the turf of Croke Park. In their place will be a contest of, presumably, much greater importance.
Namely, an American football pre-season friendly involving those well-loved crowdpullers,the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We kid you not.
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NICK Barmby pounced for a late winner as Everton maintained their impressive record at Derby with a 1-0 victory at the Baseball Ground.
The England striker reacted quickly to head home after Joe Parkinson’s 25-yard effort had rebounded off the crossbar four minutes from time.
Everton’s victory, their eighth in 11 visits to this ground, put them above Chelsea in seventh place and left Derby cursing their first defeat in six games.
