Persian Dreamer downed the long odds-on favourite Star Of Mystery in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket.

Kevin Stott ensured it was a happy birthday for Amo Racing boss Kia Joorabchian in the fillies’ Group Two contest, which had looked at the mercy of Charlie Appleby’s Star Of Mystery once George Boughey’s Soprano was declared a non-runner due to a medication mix-up.

Two of the four runners were trained by Dominic French Davis, with his second string Thanksbutnothanks taking the field along early and the favourite close by.

But Persian Dreamer (5-1) – one place behind Soprano when fourth in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot – quickened impressively when asked and went on to win by a length and three-quarters, giving Stott a swift double after victory aboard the Charlie Johnston-trained Killybegs Warrior in the opening handicap.

Star Of Mystery (1-6) was a second odds-on favourite of Appleby’s to be beaten at the meeting following Adayar’s defeat on Thursday.

Ffrench Davis, celebrating his first Group winner, said: “We hit the crossbar a few times. It is a relief to win a Group race at last. She’s a smashing filly and has done nothing wrong all year, but needs to get her toe in the ground.

“We were praying for the rain today and it has come. I hoped it would rain.

“She was the last horse off the bridle at Ascot, she just doesn’t let herself down when the ground is as fast as that.

“I think she will be a lovely filly going forward. When she won on the Rowley Mile, I always felt that she might go on to be a Guineas filly next year.

“She gives you that sort of a feel. She’s done her bit for the moment and we will wait for the ground to be right and make sure the race is right and hope she will be going for a little soft-ground Group One in the autumn.

“We have got some nice horses, but never would have had this sort of class of horse at all (before Amo’s backing).”

Of the beaten market leader, Appleby said: “As we know with these small-runner events, they can become quite messy.

“It was contested early and she was lit up for the first couple of furlongs. Will (Buick) said she hit the lids and the other horse was sat on our girths and keeping us lit up. They got a nice tow into it and they picked up and saw it out better than we did.

“It is tough out there on the front with a headwind and it just paid that last couple of hundred yards.

“Fair play to the winner, they have got a nice tow and got cover pulled her out and picked her up.

“Small fields are the annoying ones, they can be more messy than the bigger ones. Our filly didn’t lose too much in defeat, but I think she’ll be better when she gets a bit of cover.

“She is most definitely a sprinter. Whether we look down the Lowther route or something, we’ll see. She is a this-year filly, on the scope of her anyway.”

Former captain Padraig Harrington believes he has two chances to prove he is worthy of becoming the oldest ever Ryder Cup player, 13 years after the last of his six appearances in the biennial event.

Harrington has not won on the DP World Tour since 2016 but has claimed five victories on the Champions Tour in the last 13 months, including successfully defending his title in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open last month.

The 51-year-old also started this season with fourth place in Abu Dhabi and finished 27th in the US Open last month, sparking speculation that he could be in the frame for one of captain Luke Donald’s six wild cards.

Raymond Floyd was 51 when he played in the 1993 Ryder Cup at The Belfry, but Harrington will celebrate his 52nd birthday a month before this year’s contest in Rome.

“I don’t think we should take the Seniors Tour into account, it’s different golf,” Harrington said after a second round of 66 left him high on the leaderboard in the £7million Genesis Scottish Open.

“I should be judged on how I play in DP World Tour and PGA Tour events. That’s it. I’ve seen some nice form and I’m gradually getting better and better.

“I played well in Abu Dhabi there but that was a good round with my back to the wall. This has been better in terms of being stress-free. I like what I see this week.

“With regards to the Ryder Cup, I’ve got these two events. I’ll see at the end of the Open. I’ll talk to Luke and see where I stand and, if necessary, I’ll change my schedule and come and play over here.

“I’m meant to be playing a few Senior events in the middle of the summer. But I will change that and play European Tour events if I have a genuine chance. If it’s real.”

Asked if he had already been in contact with Donald, Harrington said: “Luke rang me a couple of weeks ago. He was actually on to congratulate me for my win, but he also said that it would be remiss of him to say he wasn’t watching.

“He asked about my schedule. I said how I play in Scotland and at the Open will determine everything. If I don’t have good weeks it won’t be enough.

“The team looks good. I have to say that. The good players are playing well. The young guys are coming through. And older guys like Justin (Rose) have come back into form.

“I don’t think they are scrambling to need me in the team. They are very solid. Every week in the States we see a European winning or contending. It’s turned a nice corner for Europe.

“It’s nice to have experience, but they are not crying out for it. Although I don’t want to talk myself out if it. But they’re not desperate to have me in the team.”

England’s Tyrrell Hatton surged into contention for a first victory in two and a half years with a “stressful” second round of 62 in the Genesis Scottish Open.

Hatton, who began the day eight shots off the lead, carded nine birdies and a solitary bogey at the Renaissance Club to set an early clubhouse target of nine under par which was matched by South Korea’s Tom Kim.

World number one Scottie Scheffler and three-time major winner Padraig Harrington were two strokes off the pace following rounds of 65 and 66 respectively as the field battled changeable conditions in East Lothian.

Asked if his round was as easy as he made it look, Hatton said: “No, it was stressful at times, as most of my rounds are.

“But very happy with the chances I gave myself. I feel I hit a lot of good iron shots today, especially compared to Thursday. Very happy with how that was and nice to see some putts drop, too.

“I had three weeks off after the US Open and you probably saw a little bit on Thursday I was fatting a few shots.

“I was hitting balls off mats last week and, even though I got here Monday night I still had not managed to get the ball first. We managed to do that today and hopefully that continues this weekend.”

In contrast to Hatton, Harrington felt driving the ball well led to a stress-free 66, despite facing the worst of the wet and windy conditions in the first group out at 7.15am.

“I hit a great drive off my first hole of the day, 80 yards short of where I hit it yesterday,” the 51-year-old said.

“The marshals were a full 50 yards away from where they should have been for the first three, four holes because they had no idea how short the ball was going.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever been out first and I was hoping that I might turn up and get a break with the weather, but we kind of got the opposite. Then it lightened up obviously after six or seven holes. The ball started going a bit and it got a little easier then.”

Harrington has not won on the DP World Tour since 2016, but has won five times on the Champions Tour in the last 13 months, including successfully defending his title in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open last month.

“I feel I can challenge anybody on a links golf course without a doubt,” Harrington said. “From years of playing it comes natural to me.

“And I don’t have a problem coming back and playing with the young guys on any golf course, but obviously links makes it a little easier for me.”

There is room at the top for a champion sprinter this season and should Julie Camacho’s three-year-old Shaquille land the Pertemps Network July Cup, the odds are he would go a long way to claiming the title.

Winner of six of his seven races to date, he came from a hugely unpromising position to win the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, beating last year’s star juvenile Little Big Bear, despite losing plenty of ground at the start.

That is not the first time he has shown a quirk or two, although it certainly does not slow him down, but he will need to be on his best behaviour when taking on older horses for the first time as he attempts to emulate Muhaarar in winning the Commonwealth and July Cups back to back.

“Shaquille seems to be in great form and has come out of Royal Ascot well. We turned him out for three or four days and he started to get a bit fresh. He cantered on the Wednesday after Royal Ascot and he did a nice piece of work last Saturday and everything seems to be good,” said Camacho, who celebrated her first Group One win at Ascot.

“He’s lovely at home. Everybody sees him at the races and they think he’s this big, ignorant, horrible animal but he’s not! Paige Harrison, who looks after him at home and rides him at home, says he’d be quite happy to just walk up the six-furlong gallop, he just lobs along.”

Steve Brown, Camacho’s husband and assistant, said: “He is a horse who prefers to lead in his work. If you ask him to join a decent horse, he might not get there. He is relaxed and laid back.

“Each time he has raced, he’s got better. We were concerned how he would handle Royal Ascot, but when he first stepped on the track he hadn’t put a foot wrong and he hadn’t broken sweat which I was really pleased about to the point that when Oisin (Murphy) hacked away, I was actually worried he was too quiet but that didn’t reflect in his performance.

“We just hope he is maturing as we are going along. It has been a steady progression in the right direction with him and hopefully that will continue on Saturday.”

Murphy is suspended on Saturday while James Doyle, who rode him to two victories earlier in the season, is at Ascot, so Rossa Ryan comes in for the ride.

“Ascot was the first time he has started slowly in his life. He was first to load and had been sitting there a long time, so got a little bit impatient,” said Brown.

Ryan Moore was briefly in the frame for the ride after Aidan O’Brien raised some doubt about Little Big Bear’s participation. However, the rematch was confirmed on Thursday morning at declaration time.

O’Brien stated at the time everything would have to continue to go in the right direction after he suffered a stone bruise last week, causing him to miss six days of exercise.

Speaking early on Friday afternoon O’Brien said: “At the moment everything is going well with him.

“It hasn’t been ideal, obviously, but we’re happy enough.

“He just missed five or six days last week and we won’t know until he runs how much it has affected him.”

The July Cup was the one Group One in the UK that Frankie Dettori was missing on his CV and in his final year, Ralph Beckett’s Kinross had been identified as his last chance to win it.

Unfortunately for him, the suspension picked up at Royal Ascot means he is unable to retire with a full set of top-level races and he has been replaced by William Buick.

Owner Marc Chan’s racing manager Jamie McAlmont said: “William (Buick) is a more than capable substitute, but it was something we were really looking forward to (with Dettori) and sadly it just wasn’t meant to be.

“If we can get some rain that would increase his chance for sure, it would make a bit of a difference, I think.

“It’s a solid race, there’s three-year-olds racing against six-year-olds and there are a number Group One winners in the race. It’s a solid field.”

Michael Van Gerwen is ready to carry on breaking the pain barrier in his pursuit of back-to-back World Matchplay titles.

The Dutchman has recently had intensive dental surgery, with more to come, but that has not affected him too much as he won the Poland Masters at the weekend.

He heads to the Winter Gardens in Blackpool aiming to follow up last year’s success and will again give it his all.

“It has been a really tough period, but the most important thing is you have to stand up and you have to battle,” said Van Gerwen ahead of his first-round match with Brendan Dolan on Sunday.

“It costs a lot of energy, but I always say if I am competing in something, I want to win it, and this tournament will be no different.

“I’m looking forward to the World Matchplay already. It’s one of the biggest tournaments we have, I want to play well and I want to defend my title.

“I always have pressure on my shoulders but I don’t mind that. I’m winning tournaments again and that gives you confidence.”

The tournament on the west coast is widely recognised as the second biggest event on the calendar behind the World Championships, which means that world number one Michael Smith is keen to add this title to his collection.

Smith, who plays Steve Beaton, won at Alexandra Palace in January and now wants to taste success at another famous venue.

“It’s an iconic venue. The crowd are right on top of you. It’s special for us as players,” the 2019 runner-up said.

“I’m feeling confident. I’m feeling good. I’ve had a few disappointments in this tournament, especially losing the final to Rob (Cross).

“This year feels different though. I’m going in as the world number one, and I’ve got to prove why I’m in that position.

“I’m feeling comfortable and I’ve got to continue that winning run this year, hopefully starting with the World Matchplay.”

The Republic of Ireland’s behind-closed-doors match against Colombia ahead of the Women’s World Cup was abandoned after 20 minutes after becoming “overly physical”.

The PA news agency understands the decision was made following some rough challenges in Friday’s contest at Brisbane’s Meakin Park, and that Ireland midfielder Denise O’Sullivan was taken to hospital and is set to undergo a scan after sustaining a shin injury.

A statement from the Football Association of Ireland said: “The behind-closed-doors game between the Ireland women’s national team and Colombia on Friday evening was ended after 20 minutes of play.

“The game, which was held in Meakin Park, Brisbane, became overly physical and it was decided, following consultation with the match officials, to end the game.

“The Ireland team then underwent a full training session to continue preparations for their opening game in FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, against Australia in Sydney on July 20.”

Vera Pauw’s Ireland team are also set to face Canada in Perth on July 26 and then Nigeria in Brisbane five days later, as the Girls in Green play at a major tournament finals for the first time in their history.

Ons Jabeur hopes she has served her apprenticeship as she bids to take the final step and win a maiden grand slam title on Saturday.

No other woman can match the Tunisian’s achievement in reaching three grand slam finals in the last five tournaments after finishing as runner-up at Wimbledon last year to Elena Rybakina and at the US Open to Iga Swiatek.

Jabeur has certainly proved her grass-court credentials this fortnight, beating grand slam champions in the last four rounds, including Rybakina and second seed Aryna Sabalenka from a set down.

“Last year was my first final of a grand slam,” said Jabeur. “I’m definitely getting closer to winning the grand slam that I always wished.

“I would say I always believed. But sometimes you would question and doubt it if it’s going to happen, if it’s ever going to happen. Being in the last stages, I think it does help you believe more.

“I’m going to learn a lot from not only Wimbledon’s final but also US Open final, and give it my best. Maybe this year was all about trying two times and getting it right the third time.”

Standing in Jabeur’s way is an unexpected finalist in Czech Marketa Vondrousova, who reached the 2019 French Open final as a teenager but has been mostly off the radar since.

Having already beaten the players who defeated her at Wimbledon the last two years, Jabeur will now aim to make it third time lucky in another way having lost to Vondrousova twice this year, at the Australian Open and Indian Wells.

It will be a match for the purists, with Jabeur and Vondrousova the two best exponents of the drop shot in the women’s game and possessing far more in their arsenals than simply power.

Jabeur said: “I’m going for my revenge. I didn’t win against her this year. She has good hands. She plays very good.

“I will try to focus on myself a lot. I’m not sure how she’s going to play (in her) second grand slam final. We’re both hungry to win. Whoever deserves it more will win.”

Jabeur is already the first African woman and Arab player to reach a slam singles final in the open era, and is known as the ‘minister of happiness’ in her home country for her sunny demeanour and the pride she has engendered.

Lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish would be a hugely significant moment for her home region and Jabeur is buoyed by the support.

“The good thing about those people, they always tell me, ‘Win or lose, we love you’,” she said. “That’s great words to hear. I always try to remember that, even though I know everybody wants me to win.

“For me, there is one goal: I’m going for it. I will prepare 100 per cent. Hopefully I can make history, not just for Tunisia, but for Africa.”

Vondrousova’s resurgence this season has come after she missed six months of 2022 following two operations on her left wrist.

The 24-year-old, who was dropped by clothing sponsor Nike, came to London last summer as a tourist, watching a friend play in qualifying before visiting the London Eye and going shopping.

This is the first time Vondrousova has come close to matching what she achieved at Roland Garros four years ago, when a semi-final victory over Britain’s Johanna Konta was followed by a one-sided loss to Ashleigh Barty.

Like Jabeur, she has done things the hard way here, beating four seeded players before seeing off crowd favourite Elina Svitolina in the last four.

 

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She is aiming to become the first unseeded women’s champion at Wimbledon and believes her previous final experience will come into play, saying: “I think it can definitely help in tough moments.

“I was very young, so I think it was just too much for me back then. I’m a bit older now. I think I’m a bit of a different person. I’m just very happy to be through this again.”

Vondrousova, who will break into the top 10 for the first time if she claims the title, can also draw on the remarkable success of female players from her country.

Fellow left-hander Petra Kvitova was the last Czech winner of Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 but since then Lucie Safarova, Karolina Pliskova, Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Muchova have also reached slam finals.

Wolves have become the first club to be sanctioned by the Football Association solely over the homophobic chant of ‘Chelsea rent boy’ by their fans.

The Premier League side have been hit with a six-figure fine and imposed with an action plan by the FA after supporters chanted the slur during a fixture against Chelsea in April.

While the FA has always condemned the use of the term, a statement from the governing body in January confirmed to clubs they could now be charged with disciplinary action if their fans engage in discriminatory behaviour – including the use of the term ‘rent boy’.

Wolves have accepted breaches to FA rule E21 following incidents where written reasons for the charges stated: “a chant by a large number of supporters for a prolonged period of approximately 20 seconds each in the 61st and also in the 71st minutes.”

Three arrests were made by West Midlands Police for alleged homophobic chanting during the game.

Wolves have been fined £100,000 and issued an 11-point action plan as it was deemed their reaction and response to the homophobic chanting was inadequate.

In its written reasons for the charges, an Independent Regulatory Commission said a public announcement made 10 minutes after the chanting was heard was “weak” while the lack of reaction from matchday stewards was also condemned.

It was noted that the post-match response from Wolves deserved praise but the commission said there had been “a clear and significant break down between taking on board what The FA has said in its statement about the Chant and actually doing anything about it.”

Included in the action plan imposed alongside the fine and to begin from the 2023/24 season, the club has to communicate the outcome and response to the charge on their website, social media and in the next matchday programme.

In their response on their official website, a Wolves statement said: “We will continue to campaign for inclusivity in football and society and to tackle discriminatory abuse whether inside stadiums or online.

“Furthermore, Wolves will not cease in its work with supporters, communities and local stakeholders to drive LGBTQ+ inclusion and ensure the game we love is a place where everyone is respected and can feel safe playing or supporting their team.”

Other points on the action plan called for a full review of steward management, development of educational programmes, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work and a zero-tolerance media campaign.

Wolves will also have to review ticket sales policies, deploy announcements and messages to target the prevention of discriminatory chanting and have an FA compliance officer present at their next home game against Chelsea – currently scheduled for December 23.

There were 106 reported incidents of hate crime involving sexual orientation at matches in England and Wales during the 2021-22 season, according to Home Office figures released last year. That represented a 186 per cent increase on 2018-19, the last full season unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic, when there were 37 such incidents reported.

Last season the ‘rent boy’ chant was heard at Chelsea’s matches against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, and also at the Manchester United v Everton FA Cup match, where it was aimed at then-Toffees boss Frank Lampard, a former Chelsea player and manager.

Earlier this week, a Fulham supporter was been banned from football for three years and fined after admitting a public order offence relating to homophobic chanting.

Stuart Findlay has returned to Kilmarnock on a season-long loan deal from Oxford United, pending Scottish Football Association approval.

The 27-year-old defender had two previous loan spells with the Rugby Park club in 2015/16 and 2017/18, before joining on a permanent deal the following season.

Findlay scored on his Scotland debut against San Marino at Hampden Park in October 2019, prior to signing with Philadelphia Union in the MLS before returning to the UK to sign for League One side Oxford last summer.

A statement on Kilmarnock’s website confirned Findlay’s return, adding: “Everyone at Kilmarnock FC would like to wish Stuart a warm welcome back home.”

Conditional jockey Dylan Kitts has had his licence suspended with immediate effect following a formal hearing in front of the British Horseracing Authority’s judicial panel.

Kitts voluntarily stood down on July 7 when it was announced there would be an investigation into his ride on the Chris Honour-trained Hillsin at Worcester, where he finished a length-and-a-half third.

The raceday stewards referred Kitts to the BHA while Hillsin was banned from running for 40 days. Honour later said his family had received abuse on social media and he subsequently asked Hillsin’s owner Alan Clegg to remove his horses from his yard.

A BHA hearing took place on Thursday, with Kitts now unable to take rides or attend any racecourses in Britain until further notice.

A statement said: “Further to the voluntary standing down by Mr Kitts last Friday, a formal hearing was held yesterday before the deputy chair of the judicial panel.

“By agreement between the parties it has been ordered that Mr Kitts’ jockey licence be suspended with immediate effect and Mr Kitts is prohibited from attending any racecourse in Great Britain.

“This order will be kept under review and will last until a further order is made, whilst the BHA investigation and potential disciplinary proceedings remain ongoing and which will be dealt with as swiftly as possible.”

Millwall have confirmed James Berylson as the club’s new chairman following the death of his father earlier this month.

American businessman John Berylson, who was appointed Millwall chairman in 2007, died in a car crash in the United States on July 4 at the age of 70.

His son, James who has been on the board of directors at The Den since 2010, will now to take over as chairman ahead of the 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship season.

In a tribute to his father on Millwall’s website, he said: “It is with sincere and immeasurable pride that I take on the chairmanship of this great football club.

“It is what my dad wanted, and I am so thankful for his mentorship since I joined the board of directors in 2010 and blessed by his trust and faith in me.

“This will mark the start of a new era, one in which we will strive to fulfil dad’s legacy.”

Liam Dawson has stopped “wasting energy” thinking about an England recall, insisting he paid no attention to speculation about being parachuted into the Ashes.

When spinner Jack Leach was ruled out of the series due to injury last month, Dawson was tipped by many as one of the replacement candidates given he is also a slow left-armer and more useful with the bat.

England instead persuaded Moeen Ali to to end his Test retirement at Edgbaston but when a blistered finger ruled him out at Lord’s, it was teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed who was drafted into the squad.

Dawson, who played the last of his three Tests in July 2017, responded by taking 12 wickets after scoring a century in Hampshire’s LV= County Championship innings win over Middlesex last month.

However, the 33-year-old was adamant a remarkable performance was not a retaliation to the England selectors following his snub, having decided long ago to channel his energies into what he can control.

He told the PA news agency: “I didn’t even think about it. Test cricket has not been on my mind for a number of years. I’ve never expected to play for a long time and it’s not something that I worry about.

“Playing for England isn’t the be-all and end-all for me any more, it’s not healthy to worry about that, I did that way too much earlier in my career and that certainly affected performances.

“It’s just wasting energy. Now it’s about enjoying my cricket and if you do that, you hopefully do well and if that leads to playing for England then great but if not then I’ll enjoy playing for Hampshire.”

Dawson will be bidding to make history with Hampshire in the Vitality Blast at Edgbaston this weekend, where they can become the first team to retain their title and claim a record fourth crown.

Dawson, alongside James Vince and Chris Wood, have been mainstays in Hampshire’s success, especially in the shortest format where on Saturday they will be competing in their 10th Finals Day in 14 editions.

Vince has been central to their success this year, topping the tournament run-charts with eight 50-plus scores in 15 matches, averaging 65.7 with a sparkling strike-rate of 154.95.

Dawson said: “The older Vincey’s getting, the better he’s getting. He’s so consistent not only in T20s but in all formats.

“Any time he’s at the crease, it relaxes the changing room and the opposition knows he’s the big wicket to get. As long as he’s out there it gives the changing room huge confidence.

“But as a group we don’t want to put extra pressure on him and him feeling like he has to get the runs. We know that we can’t just rely on him to always get the runs, it’s down to everyone else as well.”

All four teams from the South Group won their quarter-finals at the expense of their northern rivals to get to Birmingham, where Hampshire will play Essex before Somerset take on Surrey.

The winners are then scheduled to meet on Saturday evening – although the forecast rain means there are concerns about spilling over into a reserve day for just the second time in the event’s history.

Hampshire did the double over Essex in the group stages but Dawson was adamant that will have no bearing on this weekend.

He added: “The two games in the group stages are completely irrelevant. It means absolutely nothing.”

Basketball star Russell Westbrook has revealed he is a part of the consortium led by 49ers Enterprises which is poised to take full ownership of Leeds.

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Westbrook, who won the NBA’s most valuable player award in 2017, has followed American golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in becoming a minor stakeholder in Leeds.

Westbrook, according to Forbes the 14th highest-paid athlete in the world, said he had invested in the Yorkshire club at a sports and entertainment summit held by Sportico.

The 34-year-old said: “I was lucky enough to have conversations with some of the partners in this deal, who already have ownership, the 49ers.

“So I was lucky enough to talk through that with friends, talking with my business partner as well about different things and having conversations, figuring out if this was the right deal and how we could make it different.”

Westbrook, who signed with the Clippers from the Los Angeles Lakers in February, is a nine-time NBA All-Star.

Three-time major winner Spieth has confirmed he and Thomas had become minority stakeholders in Leeds earlier this week, but fellow golfer Rickie Fowler pulled out of a deal when the club were relegated from the Premier League in May.

Leeds’ joint-owners 49ers Enterprises, the financial arm of NFL franchise San Francisco 49ers, have bought former chairman Andrea Radrizzani’s majority 56 per cent shareholding.

The English Football League is currently carrying out its owners and directors test before it sanctions the 49ers’ full takeover.

Republic of Ireland midfielder Denise O’Sullivan is less than a week away from making her World Cup debut in front of more than 80,000 people – but confesses it was perhaps the fanfare-filled Knocknaheeny farewell in front of far fewer that will ultimately prove the more intimidating atmosphere.

O’Sullivan’s name will go down in history as one of the 23 women who were chosen to represent the Girls in Green at their maiden World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where they will take on the Matildas in their July 20th tournament opener at Sydney’s sold-out Stadium Australia.

When the North Carolina Courage captain steps onto the pitch in front of that cauldron of Aussie support she will particularly feel the absence of a few familiar faces in the crowd.

Though her family was unable to make the trip, they did their best to compensate with a spectacular home send-off in front of the hundreds who descended on her mum’s house and decorated the neighbourhood to wish her luck.

O’Sullivan said: “I was mortified, but it was class to be fair. A few weeks before that I got permission from (manager) Vera (Pauw) just to go home to see the family because unfortunately, they weren’t coming over here to the World Cup.

“The minute I told them that, they were organising something and I knew it! But I didn’t know they were organising to that extent, to be quite honest – band and everything.

“Rappers, bands, oh my goodness. It was mad. My family have always been a great support and you can see what football does. It just brought the whole community and everyone together that night to support me. It was a great send off.”

O’Sullivan, 29, was speaking at Brisbane’s Meakin Park a few days before the Republic’s final friendly against Colombia.

Group B encounters with Olympic champions Canada and Nigeria follow the opener against FIFA world no 10 Australia, with the top two from each group advancing to the last-16 knockout round.

The long journey is now behind Vera Pauw’s squad, who have been adjusting to the nine-hour time difference through a strict training regimen of shifting start times. On Wednesday, they hosted an open session and invited local Irish fans to watch the team in action.

Those kids in the crowd sporting tiny green kit – whether in Queensland or Cork – are what motivate O’Sullivan to keep going.

She said: “In that field where I was that night with my family and everyone, that’s where I grew up playing football. That’s where I played street football with my brothers and all the boys. That night, I was there signing autographs for kids sitting in that same field, so just to look forward and look how far I’ve come and what I’m doing now.

“Look, I have a platform to inspire people and I think that’s what this team is doing. I want to leave this green shirt in the best condition I can for when I’m about to retire – not anytime soon [laughs], but that’s definitely what it’s all about. It’s about inspiring the next generation.”

O’Sullivan was just a young girl herself when father John brought her to a bar early in the morning to watch the Republic face Germany in the 2002 World Cup, when Robbie Keane scored his historic equaliser in the second minute of stoppage time.

In 2016, O’Sullivan, who was preparing to move to America to play for Houston Dash, lost her beloved dad just five weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer. Her World Cup debut is the realisation of a long-held dream shared by them both.

She added: “He was the biggest supporter for me in my journey to get to where I am. Obviously, to have him here would be a dream but I know he’s looking down. He’s proud anyway. He pushed me along the way to get to where I am today.”

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