Down edge Louth for second All-Ireland group stage win

Down made it two wins from two in the group stage of the All-Ireland series as they survived a late Louth fightback to win 0-25 to 0-24 at Pairc Esler.After a delayed start to the game in Newry, Odhran Murdock kicked a fine two pointer a minute into the game to set Conor Laverty's men on their way.They added two more points before a free from Sam Mulroy got Louth on the board after eight minutes.Two two-pointers from Danny Magill and Murdock further stretched Down's lead and they eventually moved nine clear before Niall McDonnell was thwarted by Ryan McEvoy in front of goal.Louth rattled off four points in a row to cut the gap, but a late scoring blitz helped Down to lead 0-16 to 0-7 at half-time.Two two-pointer and another effort from Mulroy helped the Leinster champions to chip away at Down's lead, reducing it to six points, but three in a row from the hosts helped them to re-establish their advantage.Donal McKenny hit the post for Louth with Mulroy, Craig Lennon and Tommy Durnin scoring three straight two-pointers for the visitors as they moved to within three points of the Mournemen.Louth had the momentum and got back to within one, before Mulroy's attempt after the hooter was blocked as Down held on for a narrow win.Having comfortably dispatched Clare in their first game, the Mournemen are in a commanding position ahead of facing Monaghan at a neutral venue in the final round of group games in a fortnight.

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The Independent

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Celebrities and rugby stars complete cycle for MND research in Dublin

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She said 'My uncle died of MD'. She gave us 50 coffees and all the food for free. So it's been amazing.' Gabby Logan said the final day was 'really physically challenging', as they climbed 1,250 metres in a few hours, but also provided a profound moment for the cyclists through stunning scenery in Co Wicklow. 'There was quite a lot of solitude today, because we weren't going through villages and towns, we were going through beautiful scenery. (It gave) a lot of time for people to think about why they're doing this today, and you can see the outpouring of emotion at the end,' she told PA. 'It's about finding cure and a solution to a terrible, terrible disease which just rips away people and their lives and at the moment, there's no hope.' Asked about the cruel effect the disease has on a person's control of their body, the couple said it helped get them through the tough parts of the cycle. Gabby Logan said: 'When you're out there and you're on the bike, and it's tiring, your body's aching, and I think 'how lucky am I that I could do that', you know? So that's why you keep going.' Kenny Logan added: 'What Gabby said, think 'you can do these things, people with MD can't'. 'The mind is so powerful. If you get your mind right, your body will follow you, and the one thing with MD, you can have the strongest mind in the world, but your body ain't gonna follow you. 'In those dark moments, when you're up the hills, and you're really struggling sometimes, I just think I just want to get off my bike and I was determined not to off my bike because we can move our legs, we can control ourselves. 'So it's been amazing. Everybody has been amazing. It's just incredible.' Asked what Weir would have thought of on Friday, he said: 'He'd think we're idiots, genuinely.' 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