Hello, good evening, and welcome to today’s sport roundup from us here at the Doughnut!
So, if you’re on the commute home, engage your brain and forget tonight’s miserable weather as I guide you through some of the day’s top sporting news events.
Robbie Keane calls it a day on his distinguished football career:
Former Ireland and Tottenham Hotspur striker has decided to hang up his boots one last time today, in an announcement in Dublin.
Robbie Keane began his career 30 years ago with Wolves, and in the ensuing years found his quick feet and precise shooting employed across the globe. Keane had two notable stints at Tottenham as well as 125 appearances for LA Galaxy, all whilst racking up 325 club goals.
To top off his impressive club career, Keane is perhaps most known for donning his countries colours and become Ireland’s record goalscorer, netting 38 goals over the course of 146 international games, before his Ireland retirement in 2016.
In a statement, the 38-year-old was jubilant to look back at a dream career.
“Today, after 23 wonderful years, I am formally announcing my retirement as a professional footballer.
“From Crumlin United around the world to the likes of Milan, London and Los Angeles, I could never have imagined the path my football life would take.
“It has exceeded all the hopes I had as a football-mad boy growing up in Dublin.”
“Leaving home at 15 years of age to pursue my professional career in England seems a lifetime ago now. I was a street footballer full of hope armed with huge ambitions and a determination to succeed.
“All I needed was that one chance. I would like to pay a special thanks to Wolverhampton Wanderers for believing in me and giving me that chance.”
“Playing and captaining my country has been the highlight of my career. I enjoyed every moment of the most incredible journey with the Ireland team over an 18-year period and as I have said many times before, words cannot express how proud I am to be Irish. I hope I have made the fans proud wearing the green jersey and armband.”
Formula One lights up the desert night
Although the Formula One circus has departed Abu-Dhabi’s dunes and endless sun, Formula One’s teams and drivers remain, burning rubber in the anticipation of Australian Grand Prix in 118 days.
The yearly end of season testing has been taking place at the Yas Marinas circuit over the past two days, but the driver line-up is already different barely 72 hours after the end of the 2018 season.
The annual musical chairs have switched a number of driver combinations up and down the grid, the most notable of which, Kimi Raikkonen, who donned a blank race suit to drive his first laps with Ferrari sister team Sauber, yesterday. The 39-year-old statesman of the sport stood aside from his competitive seat at the Italian outfit to allow Charles Leclerc to step up into the prancing horse team.
The testing also heralds the arrival of Pole Robert Kubica who has secured his first full-time drive for Williams Racing after a catastrophic rally crash nearly severed his arm off.
With timings a secret only to the teams on the pit wall, true pace won’t be divulged but bookies are already calling the Mercedes team early favourites, charging after their fifth constructors title in as many years.
Connor McGregor handed six-month driving ban
MMA fighter Connor McGregor has been punished by an Irish court after the former two-weight champion was caught speeding in Kildare close to Dublin.
Clocked doing speeds in excess of 95mph in a 60mph zone in October last year, McGregor was handed a six-month ban.
The stint wasn’t the first run-in with the law McGregor has faced, though, with 12 previous traffic offences staining his record stretching back to the Irishman’s teens.
Judge Desmond Zaidan was taken back by McGregor’s recklessness, telling the court:
“When speeding goes wrong the consequences are catastrophic and life-changing, there is no question about that.
“Sadly we have lost more lives on our roads because of excessive speeding, dangerous speeds and other bad behaviour.
“More people have lost their lives on our roads, bad driving on our roads, speeding, than as a result of violence, homicide, murder, manslaughter.”
McGregor was apologetic in court and stressed it wouldn’t happen again.
Ellis Jenkins awaits his fate over hard knee injury
Wales flanker Ellis Jenkins has said he’ll have to wait till next week to learn the fate of his knee after the injury sidelined him in an International Series friendly against South Africa last weekend.
In a bad run of luck, the injury occurred on the final play of the game, bringing forth the end of his season both internationally and for the Cardiff Blues.
Jenkins joked about his unfortunate end to the game,
“It would be nice if the game had finished 30 seconds earlier!
“My foot has just got stuck and there are two big boys who have tried to clean me out.
“It is just one of those things. It is stuff I get rewarded for in games and part of the game unfortunately.”
After the game, Wales coach Warren Gatland told the press it was feared Jenkins had damaged his anterior cruciate ligament.
Jenkins went on to say:
“I want to be back playing as quickly and playing well as soon as possible.
“I have had a scan and have to go and see a specialist next week and we will go from there.
“I’ve been trying to keep my knee moving and get the swelling down.
“If I need surgery I need to keep the swelling to a minimum otherwise it just delays the process.”
Wales will hope for good results from the consultation next week as the squad heads into their last six months of preparation for the rugby world cup in Japan next year.
Well, there you have it, four of the days biggest headlines from their respective sports. If you’d like to read more fabulous content from our wonderfully creative team here at the Jam centre, why not explore the Doughnut and drop us a follow @JaM_at_Marjon.
Words:
Robert Tunley @rtunley