Hello punters!
A hearty Cork Independent New Year welcome to you all, coupled with the hope that our betting ventures will show a profit to keep us ahead of the posse in 2010. Here's to good luck!

There is one piece of good news to emerge from Munster's disappointing week as popular prop Marcus Horan is expected to play some part in this Sunday's Magners League game against the Scarlets at Musgrave Park (K-O 5PM). Horan played a full part in training in the lead up to last Saturday's defeat to Ulster and Munster coach Tony McGahan confirmed that Horan was to play in Shannon's Munster Senior Cup semi-final against UCC, but the pitch at Tom Clifford Park was unplayable.

Name: Shane Duggan
Nickname: Shetlan
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 6ft1
Weight: 11 ½ stone

Both Cork teams in the Nivea for Men's SuperLeague had matches postponed over the festive period. Most notable was the New Year's Day fixture between Neptune and DCU Saints, which was due to take place at Neptune Stadium to co-inside with the Cork club celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Hello punters! In this, the very last article of 2009, I thought that it would be appropriate to salute the undoubted talent of Michael Kinnane, and feature him as a way to thank him, now that he has retired from the saddle, for his many brilliant riding accomplishments in a career that was absolutely chock-full of incident.

It is unusual, to say the least, that in his retiring year he did have one of his greatest seasons, and, as the man said, he really finished his career with a bang!

Neptune Basketball have more reason than most to celebrate the New Year.

It’s 25 years since the first ever basketball match was played at the Neptune Stadium against St Vincent’s from Dublin. The match was a sell-out and to commemorate this, Neptune will again play St Vincent’s and hope for another to sell-out again in celebrating the history of one of Ireland’s most successful basketball clubs.

Approaching the end of the year it would be nice to be able to look back and feel good about at least some of the things that occurred in Irish professional football. However, the truth is that 2009 leaves in its wake a period of tribulation and turbulence. On the International front the Thierry Henry incident not only banished hopes of a summer in South Africa it also took much of the sheen off what had been a solid and impressive qualification campaign by the Irish team.

AS the year draws to a close, the Cork Independent looks back on memorable moments for sport in Cork over the year.

2009 will be remembered for many reasons in Cork. The county went through a year of high controversy on and off the field in sport and as the year finishes, the off-field tribulations have again outshone on-field matters, especially where Cork City FC is concerned.

THE CORK boat has finally arrived in Geraldton, Australia after the gruelling 4,700 mile Southern Ocean leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

All ten boats have now arrived in Geraldton at the end of the third leg from Cape Town. It is a rarity in a round the world yacht race to have so many boats finish so close together, except for Cork and Hull & Humber, and it provided the people of Geraldton with a real spectacle as they all arrived in daylight hours on Thursday.

AS the bells of Shandon were ushering in 2009, Cork GAA was in turmoil, with no resolution in sight to the bitter dispute between the Board and the senior hurlers.

Eventually it was resolved but it took the issuing of a death threat to the family of manager Gerald McCarthy, before the 'Barrs man decided enough was enough and tendered his resignation.