The Airtricity League kicks back into action tonight, with Derry City taking on Sligo Rovers at 5.45pm before Dundalk play St Pat's at 7.45pm. Check out Emmet Malone's team by team guide here, ahead of what will be a sprint finish. The asterisk will be back this season, that much we know already - but "however far short of an ideal season this one eventually ends up falling, it is still very good to be facing into the prospect of some competitive football being played again." Brentford and Fulham will play for a Premier League place on Tuesday after Scott Parker's side squeaked through their Championship playoff semi-final second leg against Cardiff last night. A 2-1 home defeat to Cardiff was enough to see Fulham edge the tie 3-2 on aggregate. In Premier League news, a Saudi Arabia-led consortium has withdrawn its bid to buy Newcastle United, and Manchester City have agreed to sign centre back Nathan Aké from Bournemouth for €43m.
Major champions Padraig Harrington and Francesco Molinari have withdrawn from next week's PGA Championship in San Francisco. Neither player has competed on the PGA Tour since it resumed from the Covid-19 shutdown. Defending champion Brooks Koepka fired a superb eight-under par 62 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the St Jude Invitational in Memphis. Rory McIlroy made a poor start, the world No 2 shooting a three-over 73 which left him in grave danger of missing the cut, while Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry are both two-under and in a share of 15th place. Co Down's Cormac Sharvin is leading the way for the Irish contingent at the Hero Open at the Forest of Arden championship course in Warwickshire, with a two under par, 70.
Champion amateur jockey Patrick Mullins tasted more Guinness Galway Hurdle glory on yet another topweight yesterday. A couple of years after Sharjah successfully conceded weight all-round, Aramon carried an even bigger burden to victory in Thursday evening's €200,000 feature at Ballybrit. Champion jockey Paul Townend's decision to opt for Canardier for Friday evening's Galway festival feature looks significant. Brian O'Connor writes: "The horse is one of seven Willie Mullins hopefuls lining up in the €80,000 Guinness Handicap Hurdle and brings perhaps the most uninspiring set of form-figures into the contest."
Meanwhile Curtis Campher's unbeaten 59 saved Ireland's blushes in the first match of their three-game series against England behind closed doors at the biosecure Ageas Bowl. However the world champions went on to take the first one-dayer comfortably, winning by six wickets. The ODI series continues on Saturday afternoon before concluding next Tuesday. The Ireland rugby team are set for six Tests in seven weeks from October 24th after World Rugby Council approved a temporary change to Regulation 9 in order to accommodate the release of international players for revised 2020 windows. Gerry Thornley (Subscriber Only) calls it "a 16-month season being run off over 12 months of non-stop rugby, albeit with the constant threat of a Covid-19 spike or outbreaks of clusters in any of the rugby-playing countries concerned."
