THE IRISH TIMES DIARY SPORTS MONTH BY MONTH CALENDAR2018 JANUARY 9-25 Winter Olympics, Pyeongchang, South Korea 28 -30 Women’s Hockey: Two matches, Ireland U-21 v Wales 16 -18 Sailing: WIORA Championship & ICRA Nationals, Galway 10 Rugby: Six Nations Championship – Ireland v Italy, Aviva U-21, Ireland 16 -19 Golf: Nordea Masters, Gothenburg; Wyndham 1 Rugby: Pro14 – Leinster v Connacht, RDS (3.15); Ulster v Stadium (2.15); England v Wales, Twickenham (4.45) Munster, Kingspan (5.35) 28 -Jul1 Golf: French Open, Paris. Championship, North Carolina Rugby: Pro14 - Munster v Zebre, Thomond Park. 29 Cricket: 2nd T20 – Ireland v India, Malahide 17 Cycling: Tour de l’Avenir, France 2-6 Tennis: National Indoor Senior Championships, David Lloyd GAA: NFL Division 1 (7.0) – Dublin v Donegal, Croke Park. NFL FIFA WORLD CUP 2018 29 -July 1 Men’s Hockey: Two matches, Ireland v France, Dublin. 17 -19 Rowing: All Ireland Coastal Championships, Wexford Riverview Division 2 (7.0) – Cavan v Meath, Breffni Park. NFL Division 4 30 GAA: All Ireland SFC, qualifiers 3rd Rd. Tier 2 Hurling 18 Cricket: All-Ireland Club T20 Finals, Bready CC and second 4-7 Golf: Tournament of Champions, Hawaii (7.0) – Carlow v Leitrim, Dr Cullen Park (5.0); Laois v GROUP A GROUP B GROUP C GROUP D GROUP E GROUP F GROUP G GROUP H Championship relegation playoff. venue tbc Waterford, Portlaoise. All Ireland Club SHC semi -finals Horse Racing: Irish Derby, Curragh Camogie: All Ireland Senior Championship semi-finals 4-8 Cricket: 5th Test – Australia v England, Sydney – Cuala (Dublin) v Liam Mellows (Galway), Semple Stadium Sailing: Volvo Round Ireland Race, Wicklow 18 -19 Rowing Irish Coastal Championships, NRC Cork 5-7 Basketball: National Cup semi-finals, Mardyke (4.0); Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) v Slaughtneil (Derry), Parnell Cycling: National Elite Road Race Championship. GAA: Women’s All Ireland Football Championship semi- 6 Rugby: Pro14 – Leinster v Ulster, RDS (7.35); Munster v Park (2.0) RUSSIA PORTUGAL FRANCE ARGENTINA BRAZIL GERMANY BELGIUM POLAND 30 -July 1 Camogie: Fourth round All Ireland Senior Championship. finals. Connacht, Thomond Park (7.45) Horse Racing: Betfair Hurdle, Newbury 18 -22 Cricket: 3rd Test – England v India, Trent Bridge Athletics: Celtic cross country, Greenmount Cricket: T20 – Australia v England, Melbourne JULY 19 GAA: All Ireland SHC final, Croke Park. All Ireland MHC 8-12 Basketball: All Ireland Schools Cup semi-finals (various 10-11 Camogie: Ashbourne & Purcell Cup semi-finals and finals. URUGUAY SPAIN PERU CROATIA SWITZERLAND MEXICO ENGLAND COLOMBIA 1 GAA: Leinster SHC final, Croke Park. Munster SHC final final, Croke Park venues) 11 Rugby: Six Nations Championship – Scotland v France, Tier 2 Hurling Championship final. Athletics: National League final, Tullamore 9 Cricket: U-19 World Cup warm-up – Ireland v England, Murrayfield (3.0) Horse Racing: Pretty Polly Stakes, Curragh 22 -25 Horse Racing: Ebor meeting, York Christchurch Women’s Six Nations Championship: Ireland v Italy, F1: Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull Ring 23 -26 Golf: Czech Masters, Prague; Northern Trust, New Jersey 11 Cricket: 1st ODI – UAE v Ireland, Dubai; U-19 World Cup Donnybrook (1.0) EGYPT IRAN DENMARK ICELAND COSTA RICA SWEDEN TUNISIA SENEGAL 2-3 GAA: All Ireland SFC, qualifiers 4th Rd. 25 Cycling: National Senior Track Championships. warm-up – Ireland v Canada, Christchurch. Soccer: President’s Cup – Dundalk v Cork City, Oriel Park 2 -15 Tennis: Wimbledon. 25 -26 GAA: All Ireland U21 HC final, Croke Park 11-14 Golf: South African Open; Hawaiian Open. GAA: NFL Division 1 (2.0) – Galway v Mayo, Pearse Stadium; 3 Cricket: 1st T20 – England v India, Old Trafford 25 -Sept 6 Cycling: La Vuelta a Espana, Spain 12-14 Rugby: Champions Cup – Harlequins v Wasps, The Stoop; Kildare v Tyrone, Newbridge; Monaghan v Kerry, Inniskeen. SAUDI ARABIA MOROCCO AUSTRALIA NIGERIA SERBIA SOUTH KOREA PANAMA JAPAN 3 -6 Golf: Women’s Irish Senior Close Championship, 26 F1: Belgium Grand Prix, Spa Ulster v La Rochelle, Kingspan Stadium; Northampton NFL Division 2 – Clare v Tipperary, Ennis; Cork v Louth, Monkstown Cycling: Race around Ireland. Saints v ASM Clermont Auvergne, Franklin’s Gardens; Páirc Uí Rinn; Roscommon v Down, Dr Hyde Park. NFL 4 Women’s Hockey: Ireland v Japan, Cork 27-Sept 9 Tennis: US Open, Flushing Meadow Ospreys v Saracens, Liberty Stadium; Exeter Chiefs v Division 3 (2.0) – Armagh v Longford, Athletic Grounds; 4-6 Golf: Irish Seniors Close Championship, Enniscrone 28 -Sept 1 Sailing: SB20 Europeans, Royal Irish YC Montpellier, Sandy Park; Leinster v Glasgow Warriors, Derry v Offaly, Celtic Park; Sligo v Fermanagh, Markievicz THUR 14 JUNE 16:00 LUZHNIKI STADIUM FRI 15 JUNE 16:00 ST PETERSBURG SAT 16 JUNE 11:00 KAZAN ARENA SAT 16 JUNE 14:00 SPARTAK STADIUM SUN 17 JUNE 13:00 SAMARA ARENA SUN 17 JUNE 16:00 LUZHNIKI STADIUM MON 18 JUNE 16:00 FISHT STADIUM TUE 19 JUNE 13:00 MORDOVIA ARENA 4 -7 Horse Racing: Bellewstown 29 -Sept 8 Golf: World Amateur Team Championships, Carton House RDS; Castres Olympique v Leicester Tigers, Stade Pierre Park; Wexford v Westmeath, Wexford Park. NFL Division 4 Russia Saudi Arabia Morocco Iran France Australia Argentina Iceland Costa Rica Serbia Germany Mexico Belgium Panama Colombia Japan 4 -8 Rowing: Henley Regatta 30 -Sept 2 Golf: Denmark Open Fabre; Racing 92 v Munster, U Arena; Bath v Scarlets, (2.0) – London v Limerick, Ruislip (1.00); Antrim v Wicklow, Swimming: European Junior Championships, Helsinki 30 -Sept 3 Cricket: 4th Test: England v India, Southampton Recreation Ground; RC Toulon v Benetton, Stade Felix Corrigan Park. 5 -8 Golf: Irish Open, Ballyliffin; Greenbrier Classic, West 31 - Sept 3 Golf: Dell Technologies Championship, Boston Mayol. Challenge Cup – Worcester Warriors v Connacht, 13 Soccer: Champions League Rd 16 first leg (7.45): Basel FRI 15 JUNE 13:00 EKATERINBURG ARENA FRI 15 JUNE 19:00 FISHT STADIUM SAT 16 JUNE 17:00 MORDOVIA ARENA SAT 16 JUNE 20:00 KALININGRAD STADIUM SUN 17 JUNE 19:00 ROSTOV ARENA MON 18 JUNE 13:00 NIZHNY NOVGOROD MON 18 JUNE 19:00 VOLGOGRAD ARENA TUE 19 JUNE 16:00 SPARTAK STADIUM Virginia 31 Soccer: Women’s World Cup qualifier – Ireland v Northern Sixways Stadium v Manchester City, St Jacob Park; Juventus v Tottenham 6 Women’s Hockey, Ireland v Japan, Dublin Ireland, tbc. Golf: Eurasia Open, Kuala Lumpur Hotspur, Juventus stadium Egypt Uruguay Portugal Spain Peru Denmark Croatia Nigeria Brazil Switzerland Sweden South Korea Tunisia England Poland Senegal Cricket: 2nd T20 – England v India, Cardiff 13 Athletics: National Indoor League, Abbotstown Cricket: T20 – New Zealand v England, Wellington 6-8 Cricket: Interprovincial T20 Festival, Pembroke CC SEPTEMBER Cricket: 2nd ODI: UAE v Ireland, Dubai 13-15 Soccer: Europa League Rd 32 first leg. 7 Horse Racing: Eclipse Stakes, Sandown 1 Cricket:Irish Senior Cup final 13-Feb 3 Cricket: U-19 World Cup, New Zealand 14 Athletics: Grand Prix, AIT TUE 19 JUNE 19:00 ST PETERSBURG WED 20 JUNE 13:00 LUZHNIKI STADIUM THUR 21 JUNE 13:00 SAMARA ARENA THUR 21 JUNE 19:00 NIZHNY NOVGOROD FRI 22 JUNE 13:00 ST PETERSBURG STADIUM SAT 23 JUNE 16:00 ROSTOV ARENA SAT 23 JUNE 13:00 SPARTAK STADIUM SUN 24 JUNE 16:00 EKATERINBURG ARENA Women’s Hockey: Ireland v Japan, Dublin 1 -2 Rowing: European Under-21 Championships, Belarus 14 Cricket: U-19 World Cup – Ireland v Sri Lanka, Whangarei; Soccer: Champions League Rd 16 first leg (7.45) – Real Russia Egypt Portugal Morocco Denmark Australia Argentina Croatia Brazil Costa Rica South Korea Mexico Belgium Tunisia Japan Senegal 7-8 GAA: All Ireland preliminary quarter-finals, (third place 2 GAA: All Ireland SFC final, Croke Park. All Ireland MFC final, 1st ODI Australia v England, Melbourne Madrid v PSG, Bernabea; Porto v Liverpool, Estadio do Munster v winner Tier 2; third place Leinster v runner-up Croke Park 15-28 Tennis: Australian Open, Melbourne Dragao Tier 2). All Ireland JFC semi-finals. All Ireland MHC quarter- F1: Italian Grand Prix, Monza 16 Cricket: 1st ODI – Ireland v Scotland, Dubai; U-19 World Cup: 15-18 Golf: Oman Golf Classic; Genesis Open, California WED 20 JUNE 16:00 ROSTOV ARENA WED 20 JUNE 19:00 KAZAN ARENA THUR 21 JUNE 16:00 EKATERINBURG ARENA FRI 22 JUNE 16:00 VOLGOGRAD ARENA FRI 22 JUNE 19:00 KALININGRAD STADIUM SAT 23 JUNE 19:00 FISHT STADIUM SUN 24 JUNE 13:00 NIZHNY NOVGOROD SUN 24 JUNE 19:00 KAZAN ARENA final 1st Rd, (Galway v Munster runner-up). Cricket: National Cup Final Ireland v Pakistan, Whangarei 16 Rugby: Pro14 – Connacht v Zebre, Sportsground (7.35); Camogie: Fifth round All Ireland Senior Championship. 4 Cycling: UCI World Championships, Lenzerheide, 16-21 Cycling: Santos Tour Down Under, Australia Ulster v Edinburgh, Kingspan (7.35) Uruguay Saudi Arabia Iran Spain France Peru Nigeria Iceland Serbia Switzerland Germany Sweden England Panama Poland Colombia 7-29 Cycling: Tour de France Switzerland 18 Cricket: 2nd ODI – Ireland v Scotland, Dubai. Soccer: start of the National League 8 F1: British Grand Prix, Silverstone 5 -7 Golf: Women’s British Amateur Open Championship, tbc Soccer: Women’s international – Portugal v Ireland, 17 Rugby: Pro14 – Leinster v Scarlets, RDS (3.15); Cardiff v Cricket: 3rd T20 – England v India, Bristol 5 -9 Cycling: Ras na mBan Portugal Munster, Arms Park (5.30) MON 25 JUNE 15:00 VOLGOGRAD ARENA MON 25 JUNE 19:00 KALININGRAD TUE 26 JUNE 15:00 LUZHNIKI STADIUM TUE 26 JUNE 19:00 ST PETERSBURG WED 27 JUNE 19:00 SPARTAK STADIUM WED 27 JUNE 15:00 KAZAN ARENA THUR 28 JUNE 19:00 KALININGRAD STADIUM THUR 28 JUNE 15:00 VOLGOGRAD ARENA 9-13 Golf: North of Ireland Amateur Open, Royal Portrush 6 -8 Soccer: Nations League match-day 1.