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The Morning Sports Briefing

GAA pre-season gets underway, Liverpool can’t break down League Two Plymouth, another Grade One for Gordon Elliott and get your 2017 Irish Times Sports Diary

Death Duty and Jack Kennedy took Grade One glory at Naas as Ruby Walsh and Augusta Kate fall at the last. Photograph: Inpho/Lorraine O’Sullivan
Death Duty and Jack Kennedy took Grade One glory at Naas as Ruby Walsh and Augusta Kate fall at the last. Photograph: Inpho/Lorraine O’Sullivan
Mon Jan 09 2017 - 08:27

GAA pre-season underway

The long, long road to lift Sam Maguire or the Liam MacCarthy Cup began yesterday, as inter-county sides throughout the country crossed the white line for their first pre-season fixtures.

In hurling’s Walsh Cup 3,000 turned up at Gorey to see Davy Fitzgerald’s Wexford revolution begin in earnest - and his new charges thrashed UCD 5-31 to 1-8. This was half of a double-header, with Jack McCaffrey returning to help the students to a 1-17 to 2-24 draw with Wexford’s footballers.

Elsewhere in the O’Byrne Cup Meath thrashed Wicklow 2-22 to 0-9, while three players were sent off during a feisty McKenna Cup encounter between Cavan and Tyrone, which the hosts won 1-13 to 0-12 at Breffni Park.

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With 27 of their senior panel on holiday in South Africa Mayo were beaten 1-12 to 2-16 by NUIG, however a similarly depleted Dublin - whose first teamers are in Jamaica - beat DCU 1-15 to 0-11.

Plymouth hold Liverpool

Meanwhile Liverpool face an FA Cup third round replay at Plymouth Argyle after they were unable to break down the League Two side in a stalemate at Anfield yesterday.

Chelsea are in the hat for tonight’s draw after they eased past Peterborough United 4-1 - despite a John Terry red card - while Fulham, Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur also through to the fourth round.

Munster make Foley proud

Munster returned to Paris on Saturday to play Racing 92 in a fixture rescheduled after the sudden death of Anthony Foley, and they delivered a performance of ruthless efficiency to win 32-7.

The result leaves them three points clear of Glasgow in Pool One, ahead of a trip to Scotstoun next weekend which coach Rassie Erasmus has called, “a really important game.”

Another Grade One for Elliott

Gordon Elliott took the Grade One prize at Naas yesterday as Death Duty capitalised on a fall at the last from Augusta Kate and Ruby Walsh to win the EUR90,000 Lawlor’s Hotel Novice Hurdle - however Elliott insisted after he has no hope of dethroning Willie Mullins as Ireland’s champion trainer.

2017 Irish Times Sports Diary

And you can get your copy of the 2017 Irish Times Sports Diary free with an edition of today’s newspaper.