2017 – The year in sport

2017 was another remarkable year of sport. From Galway lifting the Liam McCarthy for the first time since 1988 to Ireland’s valiant World Cup qualifying campaign Marking the Spot has been there through it all so here’s a look back at the major sporting stories of 2017.

January

• 2nd – Michael van Gerwen defeats Gary Anderson 7-2 to win the World Darts Championship.
• 6th – Two-time Olympian and European 1500m silver medallist Frank Murphy passes away at the age of 69.
• 7th – Munster beating Racing 92 32-7 in Paris in a Champions Cup game rescheduled from October due to the sudden death of coach Anthony Foley.
• 10th – FIFA approves a 48 team World Cup from 2026 on.
• 11th – Don Cossack, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup just ten months earlier, is retired due to a tendon injury.
• 12th – Former England, Aston Villa and Watford manager Graham Taylor dies of a heart attack at the age of 72.
• 14th – The Africa Cup of Nations begins in Gabon.
• 16th – Mercedes F1 announce Valtteri Bottas will replace reigning World Champion Nico Rosberg who retired at the end of last season. The move sees Williams pull Felipe Massa from retirement to replace Bottas.
• 23rd – Five-time All-Ireland winning defender Aidan O’Mahony retires from inter-county football for Kerry at the age of 35.
• 27th – The Manor Formula 1 team collapses after administrators failed to find a buyer for the outfit.
• 28th – Serena Williams beats her sister Venus 6-4 6-4 in the Australian Open final to claim her 23rd Grand Slam.
• 29th – Roger Federer beats Rafael Nadal in a five-set thriller to win the Australian Open – his 18th Grand Slam title.

February

• 2nd – The non-league footballer who sent abusive tweets to Republic of Ireland and Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter is banned from football for six months and fined £250.
• 4th – Ireland got their Six Nations campaign off to the worst possible start with a 27- 22 defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield.
• 5th – Cameroon defeat Egypt 2-1 to win the Africa Cup of Nations. Vincent Aboubakar scores a stunning winner to secure The Indomitable Lions’ fifth title.
• 6th – Former Springbok Joost van der Westhuizen dies aged 45 after a brave battle against motor neurone disease.
• 8th – The FAI appoints Colin Bell as head coach of the Republic of Ireland Women’s International Senior Team.
• 10th – Sarah Keane is elected OCI president in a landslide after the departure of Pat Hickey.
• 11th – CJ Stander and substitute Craig Gilroy both claimed hat-tricks as Ireland earned a nine-try 63-10 thrashing of Italy in Rome.
• 14th – PSG hammer FC Barcelona 4-0 in their Champions League last 16 first leg.
• 20th – Connacht confirm Kieran Keane will join the province as head coach ahead of the new season.
• 23rd – Leicester sack manager Claudio Ranieri less than a year after their incredible run to the Premier League title.
• 23rd- Belgian side Gent knock Tottenham Hotspur out of the Europa League.
• 24th – John Horan wins a landslide victory and will take over from Aogan O Fearghail as GAA president in 2018.
• 25th- Scotland produce another upset by beating Wales at Murrayfield.
• 25th – Conor Murray and Jonathan Sexton stamp their class all over a pulsating Aviva Stadium showdown with France to keep Ireland’s championship hopes alive with a 19-9 win.
•  25th – The ‘Super 8’ proposal to replace the football quarter-finals gets 76% approval at GAA congress, meaning a new format for the Championship.
• 26th – Zlatan Ibrahimovic heads Manchester United to EFL Cup glory at Wembley as Jose Mourinho’s side edge out Southampton 3-2 in an entertaining encounter.

March

• 1st- Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique announces he will leave the club at the end of the season. The Spaniard lead Barca to nine trophies in three seasons.
• 1st – Russian president Vladimir Putin responds to accusations his country’s government conspired to help athletes cheat by saying “we never had, don’t have, and I hope won’t have a state-sponsored doping programme”.
• 4th – Former Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor wins her fifth professional fight, stopping Italian Monica Gentili on the undercard of Tony Bellew’s surprise heavyweight win over David Haye.
• 8th – Barcelona become the first team to overturn a 4-0 first leg deficit in the Champions League, a stoppage-time goal from Sergio Roberto helping them to beat Paris St Germain 6-1 at Camp Nou and 6-5 on aggregate.
• 10th – Ireland’s hopes of setting up a Six Nations title showdown with England in Dublin are dashed as they go down 22-9 to Wales under a closed roof in Cardiff. Jamie Heaslip earns his 100th Test cap.
• 11th – England hammer Scotland 61-21 to retain their 6 Nations crown.
• 14th – Leicester City stun Sevilla to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
• 15th – AS Monaco produce an incredible performance at home to knock Manchester City out of the Champions League. The score finished 6-6 on aggregate but the French side progressed on the away goal rule.
• 17th – Dr Crokes of Kerry beat Derry’s Slaughtneil, who had won the Ulster football, hurling and camogie titles, by 1-09 to 1-07 to win their second All-Ireland Club title and first since 1992.
• 17th – Irish trainer Jessica Harrington wins the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the first time with 7/1 shot Sizing John, ridden by Robbie Power. Gordon Elliott is leading trainer (6 wins) and Ruby Walsh top jockey (4) in another vintage year for the Irish.
• 18th – After France beat Wales in a bizarre 100-minute game, Ireland deny Six Nations champions England a second consecutive Grand Slam with a 13-9 victory in Dublin. Joe Schmidt’s side finish second.
• 19th – Derry City are in mourning after club captain Ryan McBride dies in his sleep at the age of just 27.
• 24th – Ireland are forced to settle for a 0-0 draw in their World Cup qualifier at home to Wales, who finish the game with 10 men as Neil Taylor is sent off for a tackle that breaks Irish captain Seamus Coleman’s leg.
• 25th – Katie Taylor wins her second fight in the space of a month – this time a convincing points victory over Bulgarian Milena Koleva in Manchester.
• 26th – Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel wins the first Formula 1 Grand Prix of the year in Melbourne.

April

• 1st – Leinster and Munster qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Cup, beating Wasps and Toulouse respectively.
• 3rd – Kerry’s star forward Colm Cooper retires from inter-county football at the age of 33 after a hugely successful career in which he believes he achieved his “ultimate dreams in life”.
• 5th – Masters favourite Dustin Johnson injures his back after falling on a staircase forcing him to withdraw from the first major of the season.
• 7th – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers signs up for the club’s quest for 10 in a row by penning a new four-year contract.
• 8th – One For Arthur (14-1) becomes just the second Scottish-trained winner of the Randox Health Grand National as he beats Cause Of Causes for trainer Lucinda Russell and Sligo jockey Derek Fox.
• 9th – Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton wins the Chinese Grand Prix.
• 9th – Kerry defeat Dublin to win the National League at Croke Park.
• 9th – Five years after claiming he was not good enough to win a major, Sergio Garcia proves himself wrong in thrilling fashion by beating Justin Rose in a play-off for the Masters.
• 11th – Borussia Dortmund’s team bus is rocked by three explosions that cause defender Marc Bartra to need hospital treatment and forces the postponement of their Champions League game against Monaco.
• 12th – McLaren’s Fernando Alonso announces he will miss the Monaco Grand Prix to compete in the Indy 500 
• 16th – Sebastian Vettel secures his second win of the season for Ferrari this time in Bahrain.
• 17th – Our Duke stamps his class on the BoyleSports Irish Grand National to continue the golden season of trainer Jessica Harrington and jockey Robbie Power.
• 17th – Club captain John Terry announces he will leave Chelsea at the end of the season.
• 19th – Jared Payne is a surprise inclusion among 11 Irish players named in the British and Irish Lions squad for this summer’s tour of New Zealand.
• 20th – Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald is hit with an eight-week touchline ban for the altercation with Tipperary players in the Allianz Hurling League semi-final.
• 22nd – Munster’s Champions Cup dream is shattered by a clinical, brutally effective Saracens juggernaut at the Aviva Stadium as the reigning champions power to a 23-10 victory.
• 22nd – Italian cyclist Michele Scarponi dies aged 37 after being struck by a van while training.
• 23rd – Leinster come up just short in a pulsating Champions Cup semi-final in Lyon as Clermont advance to the final with a 27-22 victory in Lyon.
• 23rd – Lionel Messi scores a late winner for Barcelona in El Clasico keeping the title race alive between Barca and Real Madrid.
• 24th – Newcastle United gain promotion back to the Premier League by winning the Championship.
• 29th – Katie Taylor makes it five wins from five as a professional boxer as she proves too powerful for German opponent Nina Meinke at Wembley Stadium before Anthony Joshua defeats Wladimir Klitschko to become unified heavyweight champion.
• 30th – Valtteri Bottas wins his first Formula 1 race for Mercedes fending off Vettel in the Russian Grand Prix.

May

• 2nd – The Irish Greyhound Board agree to sell their Harold’s Cross Stadium – closed since February – to the Department of Education and Skills in a bid to cover reported debts of more than €23m.
• 3rd – The FAI launch an investigation at Athlone Town after UEFA report unusual betting activity on the club’s 3-1 loss to Longford Town.
• 5th – The 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia begins in Sardinia.
• 5th – Ireland suffer a thumping seven-wicket defeat in their first ever One Day International against England in England with the hosts chasing down a total of 127 in just 20 overs.
• 10th – World rugby increases the length of time a player must be resident in a country before representing it at international level from three years to five years.
• 10th – Ireland are drawn in a group with Scotland and hosts Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
• 12th – Chelsea win the Premier League in Antonio Conte’s first season in charge, wrapping it up with two games to spare after a 1-0 victory at West Brom.
• 13th – Saracens secure their second straight European ChampionsCup triumph, edging out Clermont Auvergne 28-17 at Murrayfield.
• 14th – Lewis Hamilton wins the Spanish Grand Prix.
• 21st – Real Madrid defeat Malaga to win a tight race for the La Liga title.
• 21st – Celtic complete the Scottish Premiership season as unbeaten champions after a 2-0 win over Hearts in their final game.
• 21st – Cork beat All-Ireland champions Tipperary in the opening game of the Munster SHC championship with a surprise 2-27 to 1-26 quarter-final victory at Semple Stadium.
• 21st – Cian McManamon, Alex Wright and Robert Heffernan win team bronze in the 20km event at the European Race Walking Cup in Czech Republic, the first time the country has won a medal at the event.
• 22nd – Former MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden dies aged 35, five days after the American hit by a car while cycling in Italy.
• 24th – Manchester United beat Ajax 2-0 in Stockholm to win the Europa League final, just 48 hours after a terrorist attack in their home city killed 22 people.
• 27th – Munster’s impressive season ends on a low note with a 46-22 thrashing by Welsh side Scarlets in the Pro12 final at the Aviva Stadium.
• 27th – Arsenal deny Chelsea a league and cup double as they beat their London rivals 2-1 in a thrilling FA Cup final. The Gunners become the outright all-time record winners following their 13 victory in the competition.
• 27th – A Lionel Messi masterclass sees FC Barcelona defeat Alaves 3-1 in the Copa del Rey final.
• 28th – Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan claim gold in the lightweight men’s pair at the European Championships in the Czech Republic while their clubmates Paul and Gary O’Donovan (lightweight double sculls) and Denise Walsh (lightweight single sculls) win silver medals.
• 28th – Dutchman Tom Dumoulin claims his maiden grand tour title at the Giro d’Italia after crushing his main rivals in the final time trial. Ireland’s Sam Bennett finishes third in the points classification. 
• 28th – Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen secure a Ferrari one-two at the Monaco Grand Prix.
• 28th – AS Roma striker Francesco Totti retires at the age of 40 after 24 years, 786 appearances and 307 goals for the Italian club.
• 29th – Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde is named as Luis Enrique’s successor at the Camp Nou.
• 29th – Huddersfield Town secure promotion to the Premier League defeating Reading in the play-off final in a penalty shootout.
• 31st – Arsene Wenger signs a new two year contract extension at Arsenal.

June

• 3rd – It isn’t pretty, and is far from convincing, but the Lions begin their tour to the Land of the Long White Cloud with victory against a spirited and game New Zealand Provincial Barbarians.
• 3rd – Real Madrid defeat Juventus 4-1 to win back to back Champions League titles.
• 4th – James McClean stakes a big claim for a starting place against Austria, as he scores Ireland’s third goal in a well-earned 3-1 victory over Uruguay.
• 5th –  Former Newcastle United midfielder Cheick Tiote dies tragically at the age of 30.
• 6th – Pádraig Harrington fears for his professional career after suffering an elbow injury which rules him out of the St Jude Classic, but returns later in month.
• 7th – One moment of Sonny Bill Williams magic is all it took for Blues to sink the British and Irish Lions 22-16 at Eden Park.
• 11th – Jonathan Walters rescues a huge point for the Republic of Ireland with a terrific volley finish against Austria that keeps his side’s World Cup dreams on track.
• 11th – Lewis Hamilton eases to victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.
• 12th – Dublin footballer Diarmuid Connolly has 12-week ban upheld by the GAA’s Central Hearings Committee (CHC) and is unavailable for selection until the end of August.
• 13th – Cristiano Ronaldo accused of €14.7 million tax evasion.
• 14th – Former multiple world champion Floyd Mayweather agrees a deal to take on MMA superstar Conor McGregor in a boxing match in Las Vegas on 26 August.
• 14th – Former RTÉ broadcaster and Head of Sport Fred Cogley dies aged 82.
• 17th – Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan swept to more medal glory as they took lightweight pair gold at the World Rowing Cup regatta in Poland.
• 17th –  The Confederations Cup gets underway in Russia.
• 17th – Cork back up their shock win over Tipperary with an impressive 0-23 to 1-15 Munster SHC semi-final victory over Waterford at a scorching Semple Stadium.
• 18th – Brooks Koepka secures maiden major with US Open win.
• 22nd – Ireland and Afghanistan become the 11th and 12th members of Test match cricket’s close-knit club at a meeting of the sport’s governing body in London.
• 25th – Sean O’Brien scores one of the greatest tries in British and Irish Lions history – but world champions New Zealand still won a pulsating first Test in emphatic fashion.
• 25th – Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo wins the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel clash behind the safety car.
• 26th – Former Holland international Frank De Boer formally confirmed as the new manager of Crystal Palace on a three-year contract. He lasted four Premier League games.
• 27th – The British and Irish Lions compound two days of acrimony by throwing away victory for a galling 31-31 draw with the Hurricanes in Wellington.
• 27th – FIFA publishes the Garcia report regarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

July

• 1st – The Tour de France begins in Dusseldorf.
• 1st – Germany beat Chile 1-0 to win the Confederations Cup.
• 1st – Conor Murray scores a try as the Lions beat 14-man New Zealand 24-21 in Wellington to level the Test series.
• 2nd – Galway win their second Leinster hurling title, beating Wexford 0-29 to 1-17 in the final at Croke Park.
• 2nd – Kerry win a fifth Munster SFC title in a row with a comprehensive 1-23 to 0-15 victory over old rivals Cork.
• 2nd – Noelle Healy scores 2-03 as Dublin hammer Westmeath to win a sixth Leinster Ladies football title in a row. Galway beat Mayo 3-12 to 1-08 in the Connacht decider while in Ulster, Donegal are 4-11 to 0-15 winners over Monaghan. Kerry beat Waterford to the Munster crown a week later.
• 5th – Arsenal sign Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon for club-record fee of €53m.
• 8th – Waterford beat Kilkenny in the hurling championship for the first time since 1959, knocking the Cats out after an epic 4-23 to 2-22 extra-time qualifier win in Thurles.
• 8th – The Lions and New Zealand draw their series after the final test ends 15-15.
• 9th – Valtteri Bottas pips Sebastian Vettel to win the Austrian Grand Prix.
• 9th – Spain’s Jon Rahm wins the Irish Open, setting a tournament record of 25-under-par and finishing six shots clear of his nearest challengers.
• 9th – Patrick Horgan scores 13 points as Cork beat Clare by 1-25 to 1-20 at Semple Stadium to win their first Munster hurling title since 2014.
• 9th – Roscommon upset favourites Galway with a commanding 2-15 to 0-12 in the Connacht final. It’s the county’s 23rd provincial crown.
• 10th – Romelu Lukaku agrees to join Manchester United from Everton for a fee that could rise to £100m. Wayne Rooney returns to his boyhood club as part of the deal.
• 12th – Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather promote their upcoming boxing match with a raucous press conference in Los Angeles attended by 20,000 people. The Irishman promises to knock out the former world champion inside four rounds.
• 14th – Manchester City sign Tottenham’s Kyle Walker for what was a record fee of £50m for a defender.
• 15th – Orla Barry (F57) and Niamh McCarthy (F41) both win silver in the discus at the World Para Athletics Championships in London. Later in the week, Noelle Lenihan (F38) makes it a hat-trick of discus silver medals for Ireland.
• 15th – Garbine Muguruza wins her second Grand Slam title with a 7-5 6-0 win over veteran Venus Williams in the Wimbledon women’ final.
• 16th – Lewis Hamilton wins the British Grand Prix in front of an adoring home crowd.
• 16th – Roger Federer wins his eighth Wimbledon title and record 19th Grand Slam after defeating Marin Cilic 6-3 6-1 6-4 in the decider.
• 16th – In Ulster, Tyrone make it two in a row, outgunning Down 2-17 to 0-15.
• 16th – Jim Gavin’s unstoppable Dubs claim their seventh Leinster title in a row with a 2-23 win over Kildare in the final.
• 16th – Jason Smyth (T13 100m) and Michael McKillop (T38 800m) win gold at the World Para Athletics Championships in London.
• 22nd – Michael McKillop wins his second gold medal of the games and career ninth in the T37 1500m at the World Para Athletics Championship, four days after Jason Smyth also wins his second gold in the T13 200m.
• 22nd – Tipperary beat Clare in an All-Ireland hurling quarter-final that is the first game played at the redeveloped Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. Waterford are four-point victors over Wexford at the same venue the following day.
• 23rd – Chris Froome wins his fourth Tour de France title. Ireland’s Dan Martin finishes in sixth place with Nicolas Roche 32nd.
• 23rd – Jordan Spieth surrenders a three shot lead by the 13th hole at Royal Birkdale but plays the final five holes in five under par to win his third Major championship at just 23 years old.
• 25th – Ulster players Paddy Jackson and Stewart Olding are charged with rape by the PSNI. The pair are suspended from provincial and international duty while the case goes to trial.
• 29th – Carl Frampton’s first fight since losing his WBA world title is called off the day before after opponent Andres Gutierrez slips in the shower in Belfast and suffers facial injuries.
• 30th – Sebastian Vettel overcomes an issue with his Ferrari’s steering to win the Hungarian Grand Prix. 
• 30th – Kerry have too much for Galway in a workmanlike All-Ireland SFC quarter-final win before Roscommon and Mayo play out a thrilling draw in the second game of a Croke Park double-bill
• 31st – Rory McIlroy parts company with his long time caddy JP Fitzgerald.

August

• 1st – It is announced that the Pro 12 will expand to 14 teams with the addition of South African former Super Rugby sides Cheetahs and Southern Kings.
• 3rd – Former heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko announces his retirement from boxing, denying the world a rematch with Anthony Joshua.
• 3rd – Paris Saint Germain sign Neymar for a world record €222m ending a summer long transfer saga between the Brazilian and Barcelona.
• 4th – Former Republic of Ireland international striker Robbie Keane signs for Indian Super League side Atletico de Kolkata.
• 6th – Joe Canning produces an astonishing winning point in the fifth minute of stoppage time from the right sideline to send Galway into the All-Ireland final against Waterford after a thrilling 0-22 to 1-18 triumph over Tipperary at Croke Park.
• 6th – Arsenal win the Community shield defeating Chelsea on penalties.
• 7th – Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador announces he will retire after the Vuelta a Espana.
• 7th – Thomas Barr is forced to pull out of the World Athletics Championships due to gastroenteritis.
• 7th – All-Ireland title hopefuls Mayo waited until their seventh Championship game to show their very best form, burning off Roscommon with ease to secure an All-Ireland semi-final clash with Kerry.
• 8th – Real Madrid narrowly beat Manchester United 2-1 to win the UEFA Supercup.
• 9th – Hosts Ireland get their campaign off to the perfect start as they eke out a two-point victory over resilient Australia in their opening game of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
• 10th – Former Hurler of the Year Tony Keady passes away aged 53. The Killimordaly clubman was the iconic centre-half back on the Galway team that won back-to-back All-Irelands in 1987-88.
• 13th – Justin Thomas wins the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow his score of -8 is enough to hold off Patrick Reed.
• 14th – Sean Maguire called up to the provisional Republic of Ireland squad for the World Cup qualifiers with Georgia and Serbia.
• 15th – Movistar announce Mikel Landa will leave Team Sky to ride for the Spanish team in 2018.
• 16th – Leona Maguire is once again named the best amateur player in women’s golf, landing the Mark H McCormack Medal for the third year in a row and the Annika Award for a second time after another brilliant season.
• 19th – The Vuelta a Espana begins in Nimes.
• 20th – Mayo and Kerry have to do it all over again after they play out a breathless All-Ireland football semi-final at a rain-sodden Croke Park.
• 22nd – Ireland women’s rugby coach Tom Tierney agrees that the World Cup performance has been a “failure” after losing fifth-place play-off.
• 22nd – Kimi Raikkonen signs a one year contract extension at Ferrari.
• 23rd – Wayne Rooney announces his retirement from international soccer.
• 25th – Barcelona look to replace Neymar by signing French sensation Ousmane Dembele for €105m from Borussia Dortmund.
• 26th – Sebastian Vettel pens a new three year deal with Ferrari.
• 26th – Mayo are back in the All-Ireland final after a comprehensive 2-16 to 0-17 replay victory over Kerry at Croke Park.
• 27th – Floyd Mayweather won for the 50th time in his decorated career when the fantasy fight with Conor McGregor proved a mismatch and he stops the Irishman in 10 rounds in Las Vegas.
• 27th – Lewis Hamilton wins the Belgian Grand Prix.
• 27th – Ireland’s Mona McSharry wins gold in the 100m Breaststroke at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Indianapolis.
• 27th – Dublin ease past Tyrone to set up an All Ireland Final meeting with Mayo.
• 28th – Leinster and Ireland great Willie Duggan, one of the finest players this country has ever produced, passes away aged 67.
• 31st – Kylian Mbappe joins Paris St Germain from Monaco, with the 18-year-old France striker moving on an initial season-long loan deal with an option for PSG to buy him outright next summer, for €180million.

September

• 1st – Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal storm to gold in the WB Tandem Time Trial at the UCI 2017 Para-cycling Road World Championships in South Africa. Two days later they add the road race gold.
•  1st – Wayne Rooney is charged with drink driving.
• 2nd – The Republic of Ireland’s World Cup hopes take a knock as they fail to capitalise on an early goal from Shane Duffy and are held to a 1-1 draw with Georgia in Tbilisi that allows Serbia to move two points clear at the top of Group D.
• 3rd – Lewis Hamilton wins the Italian Grand Prix at Monza to take the lead in the Drivers Championship.
• 3rd – Galway win their first All-Ireland SHC title since 1988, beating Waterford by 0-26 to 2-17 in the final at Croke Park. Captain David Burke makes an emotional speech, which includes a tribute to the late Tony Keady and Niall Donohue. Galway also win the minor crown, beating Cork by two points.
• 5th – Ireland’s chances of securing an automatic qualification sport for World Cup 2018 are all but ended by a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Serbia at the Aviva Stadium.
• 7th – Premier League clubs agree to close the summer transfer window on the day before the start of the 2018-19 season to minimise perceived uncertainty at clubs in the opening weeks of the campaign.
• 8th – South African Graham Ford is named the new National Head Coach of Cricket Ireland.
• 9th – Sloane Stephens wins her first grand slam title at the US Open with a one-sided 6-3 6-0 victory over friend Madison Keys.
• 10th – Ireland’s former Olympic chief Pat Hickey resigns from the International Olympic Committee’s executive board ahead of his trial in Rio related to alleged illegal ticket-selling at last year’s Games.
• 10th – Ireland’s Jenny Egan wins bronze at the K1 Canoe Marathon World Championships in South Africa.
• 10th – Super sub Julia White shoots the winner in the seventh minute of injury time to give Cork a 0-10 to 0-09 victory over reigning champions Kilkenny and their third O’Duffy Cup in four years.
• 10th – Rafael Nadal wins the US open defeating Kevin Anderson 6–3, 6–3, 6–4 it is the Spaniard’s 16th Grand Slam title.
• 10th – Chris Froome becomes the third cyclist to win the Tour and La Vuelta in the same season.
• 13th – Paris and Los Angeles are confirmed as host cities of the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games respectively.
• 13th – Valtteri Bottas signs a one year contract extension with Mercedes.
• 13th – The Irish Greyhound Board reveal that Laurels champion Clonbrien Hero tested positive for cocaine three times in July.
• 17th – Lewis Hamilton wins the Singapore Grand Prix as Sebastian Vettel’s title challenge all but ends following an opening lap collision.
• 17th – Gennady Golovkin and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s hotly-anticipated world middleweight title showdown ends in a controversial draw in Las Vegas after judge Adalaide Byrd scores the bout 118-110 for Alvarez compared to the other judges’ 115-113 for Golovkin and 114-114.
• 17th – For the second year in a row, Dublin beat Mayo by a single point in the All-Ireland SFC final. Con O’Callaghan’s early goal sets the Dubs on their way to a 1-17 to 1-16 and a third successive title.
• 20th – The death is announced of former RTÉ sports commentator and journalist Jimmy Magee. ‘The Memory Man’ was 82.
• 20th – Jake La Motta, former middleweight world champion and inspiration for the film Raging Bull passes away aged 95.
• 22nd – A bizarre incident in Switzerland sees a club president attack a TV commentator.
• 24th – Slovakia’s Peter Sagan sprints to his third men’s world road race title in a row.
• 24th – A record crowd of 46,286 spectators watch Dublin’s ladies footballers end a three-year losing streak in All-Ireland finals with victory over Mayo at Croke Park. Cora Staunton is denied a fifth winners medal as the free-scoring Dubs run out 4-11 to 0-11 victors.
• 24th – Numerous NFL players and management protest after US President Donald calls on owners “get that son of a b**ch off the field” in reference to players who choose not to stand for the American national anthem.
• 25th – It is announced Aston Martin will become Red Bull Racing’s title sponsor from 2018.
• 28th -After 63 games and 14 goals for Ireland, 34-year-old Kevin Doyle retires from football on medical advice due to persistent concussion symptoms.
• 28th – Bayern Munich sack manager Carlo Ancelotti following a poor run of form both domestically and in European competition.
• 29th – Skibereen boats claim three gold medals at the World Rowing Championships in Sarasota. Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll take gold in the lightweight men’s pair followed by Paul O’Donovan retaining his lightweight single sculls title.
• 30th – A GAA special congress at Croke Park votes to restructure the All-Ireland senior hurling Championships, transforming the Leinster and Munster Championships into five-team group stages, with a third group that will also provide two preliminary quarter-finalists.

October

• 1st – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen storms to victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
• 1st – Barcelona face Las Palmas at an empty Camp Nou in the midst of a political crisis regarding Catalan independence.
• 1st – Greystones man Paul Dunne produces a stunning final round and holds off a thrilling challenge from Rory McIlroy to claim his first European Tour title in the British Masters.
• 5th – Ireland manager Martin O’Neill agrees a new contract with the FAI, which will extend his tenure as manager until the European Championships in 2020.
• 6th – Andres Iniesta signs a lifetime contract that will see him finish his career at Barcelona.
• 6th – Daryl Murphy’s brace keeps Ireland’s World Cup ambitions alive as Martin O’Neill’s side enjoy a facile 2-0 victory over Moldova in their penultimate Group D game at the Aviva Stadium.
• 7th – Leinster claim the early interprovincial bragging rights as Munster’s late surge and Keith Earls try could only deliver a losing bonus point.
• 8th – Northern Ireland’s place in the play-offs for the World Cup finals is confirmed after Scotland draw with Slovenia.
• 8th – Lewis Hamilton is once again victorious in Japan.
• 9th –James McClean blasts Ireland into the World Cup play-offs a defensive masterclass sees the Boys in Green defeat Wales and silence a passionate Cardiff crowd.
• 11th – The GAA’s Director General Páraic Duffy announces his intention to retire from his position on 31 March 2018 after a decade in the role.
• 11th – Lionel Messi singlehandedly secures Argentina’s place at the 2018 World Cup scoring a hat-trick as Argentina come from behind to beat Ecuador 3-1.
• 11th – Munster name South African Johann van Grann as their new head coach. 
• 12th – A Swiss court opens a corruption probe into PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
• 17th – The play-off draw sees the Republic of Ireland pitted against Denmark for a place in the World Cup. Martin O’Neill’s side are set to play away from home first.
• 17th – Cork City secure their first Premier Division title in 12 years as they earn the point they needed by holding Derry City to a 0-0 draw at a storm-damaged Turner’s Cross.
• 18th – US President Donald Trump accuses the NFL of showing “total disrespect” for the United States by not forcing players to stand during the national anthem.
• 21st – Donegal pay tribute to Pat Shovelin, “a genuine soul who will never be forgotten”, after the goalkeeping coach passed away following a battle with cancer.
• 22nd – Lewis Hamilton moves ever closer to the Driver’s World Championship by wining the US Grand Prix.
• 22nd – All-Ireland Club champions Dr Crokes retain their county title after a titanic battle with their nemesis South Kerry, with the Killarney club edging a brilliant contest by two points.
• 23rd – Everton sack their manager Ronald Koeman after a dreadful start to the season.
• 23rd – Simon Zebo will leave Munster at the end of the season, with a move to Ronan O’Gara’s Racing 92 in Paris heavily rumoured.
• 25th – Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea is confirmed as Ireland’s captain for the upcoming International Rules series against Australia.
• 27th – Tom Farrell’s 67th-minute try ensures Connacht topple 14-man Munster 20-16 to end their six-match losing streak in Pro14 inter-provincial derbies.
• 28th – Katie Taylor claims her first world professional title by defeating Argentina’s Anahi Esther Sanchez in Cardiff.
• 29th – Max Verstappen wins the Mexican Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton wins his fourth drivers’ title.
• 30th – Conor McGregor says sorry for using the word ‘f****t’ in a recent video which went viral, but during an interview on The Late Late Show he also complains that people are too eager to throw him “under the bus”.
• 31st – The Rugby World Cup board unanimously recommends South Africa to be the tournament’s host in 2023.

November

• 2nd – All-Ireland champions Galway have seven players on the year’s All-Star team. Runners-up Waterford have five, with two for Cork and one for Tipperary. Galway’s Joe Canning is later named Hurler of the Year and his team-mate Conor Whelan Young Hurler of the Year.
• 3rd – Marseille’s Patrice Evra kicks one of his own club’s supporters during a confrontation at the club’s Europa League game at Vitoria Guimaraes. He is suspended and later sacked by the club.
• 3rd – Mayo’s Andy Moran is the Footballer of the Year and Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan is the Young Footballer of the Year as the three-in-a-row winning Dubs take seven of the places on the All-Star football team. Mayo win six awards with one each for Tyrone and Kerry.
• 4th – Rena Buckley is the Camogie Player of the Year after captaining Cork to win her incredible 18th All-Ireland title across both codes. The Rebelettes have eight places on the team, with four for runners-up Kilkenny, two for Galway and one for Dublin.
• 4th –Felipe Massa announces his retirement from Formula 1.
• 4th – Celtic break their own 100-year-old British record, moving to 63 domestic games unbeaten with a 4-0 victory at St Johnstone.
• 5th – Kieran Sadlier kicks the winning penalty as Cork City beat Dundalk in an FAI Cup final shootout to secure a first ever double, after Clare Shine’s goal against UCD secures the Women’s Cup for the Rebels.
• 6th – Joseph O’Brien wins the Melbourne Cup on his first attempt as a trainer with Rekindling. O’Brien’s father Aidan’s Johannes Vermeer is second with the Willie Mullins-trained Max Dynamite third to complete a clean sweep for the Irish.
• 10th – Conor McGregor is embroiled in an angry exchange with referee Marc Goddard after leaping into the octagon to celebrate team-mate Charlie Ward’s defeat of John Redmond at the Bellator 187 MMA event in Dublin. McGregor later apologises.
• 11th – The Republic of Ireland are grateful to Darren Randolph as the goalkeeper makes some key saves during the country’s 0-0 World Cup play-off first leg draw with Denmark in Copenhagen.
• 11th – Andrew Conway, Jacob Stockdale, Rhys Ruddock and Rob Herring are on the scoresheet as Ireland hammer South Africa 38-3 at the Aviva Stadium in the first of their November internationals.
• 12th – Ireland are beaten 63-53 by Australia in the first test of the International Rules series in Adelaide.
• 12th – Sebastian Vettel wins the Brazilian Grand Prix.
• 13th – Sweden defeat Italy 1-0 in their World Cup play-off to secure their place at the 2018 World Cup.
• 14th – Ireland miss out on the World Cup in devastating fashion as a Christian Eriksen-inspired Denmark fight back from an early goal by Shane Duffy to thrash the hosts 5-1 in Dublin in the play-off second leg. Northern Ireland are eliminated by Switzerland.
• 15th – France beat South Africa and Ireland to win the right to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It is a surprise result after a technical review had recommended South Africa as preferred bidders.
• 18th – Australia recover from conceding first-quarter goals by Gary Brennan and Chris Barrett to win the second Test of the International Rules series 53-50 and claim the Cormac McAnallen trophy on a 116-103 aggregate total.
• 18th – A late penalty from Ian Keatley secures a nervy 23-20 win over Fiji as Ireland’s second string are pushed all the way after building a 17-3 first-half lead.
• 19th – Five-time All-Ireland winners Bryan Sheehan (Kerry) and Denis Bastick (Dublin) are among the most notable of a raft of GAA inter-county retirements this month.
• 20th – Former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna dies from cancer aged 49.
• 24th – Oscar Pistorius sees his prison sentence doubled.
• 25th – Lionel Messi renews his contract at Barcelona through to the 2020/21 season.
• 25th – Jacob Stockdale scores two tries as Ireland finish their November Tests with a 28-19 win over Argentina at the Aviva.
• 25th – Noelle Healy is the Ladies Footballer of the Year as the All-Ireland champions secure six spots on the All-Star team. Cora Staunton earns a record-equalling 11th award as one of three Mayo players to be recognised.
• 26th – Valtteri Bottas wins the final Grand Prix of the year in Abu Dhabi.
• 26th – Irish referee Joy Neville is named World Rugby Referee of the Year at the World Rugby Awards in Monaco.
• 27th – It emerges that the McGuigan family’s Cyclone Promotions is to sue former world champion Carl Frampton for breach of contract over his decision to sever ties with the company.
• 29th – Alfa Romeo announces it will return to Formula 1 via a technical partnership with Sauber.
• 30th – Everton appoint Sam Allardyce as their new manager.

December

• 1st – The draw for the 2018 World Cup throws up favourable draws for England and hosts Russia. Gareth Southgate’s team were matched with Belgium, Tunisia and debutants Panama in Group G, while Russia will face Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and Egypt in Group A.
• 2nd – Ireland and Burnley midfielder Robbie Brady may miss the rest of his club’s Premier League campaign as he requires surgery on a knee injury sustained against Leicester City. The former Norwich player tore the patellar tendon in his left knee after a challenge from Harry Maguire.
• 10th – Borussia Dortmund sack coach Peter Bosz who only joined the club in the summer.
• 10th – Manchester City defeat rivals Manchester United to move eleven points clear at the top of the table.
• 11th – The Champions League Last 16 draw is made with the stand out fixture seeing PSG pitted against Real Madrid.
• 12th – Shelbourne academy prospect Izzy Dezu dies after collapsing during a Dublin and District Schoolboys League U-16 Premier Division game. President Michael D Higgins leads the tributes to the former Cherry Orchard FC player, who was just 16 years old.
• 13th – It emerges Chris Froome returned an adverse finding in a drugs test during the Vuelta a Espana. The Team Sky rider exceeded the permitted levels of Salbutamol and could lose his Vuelta title.
• 13th – Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor retains her WBA lightweight belt after a bruising encounter with American Jessica McCaskill in London’s York Hall. The Bray woman wins a unanimous decision 97-92, 97-92, 98-91 but was made to work very hard by the investment banker who trains in her spare time.
• 15th – Leinster and Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong signs a new three year contract with the IRFU.
• 15th – Peter O’Mahony signs a new contract with Munster and the IRFU that will see him stay at Thomond Park untill at least 2021.
• 17th – A heartening year for Irish rugby is rounded off with six wins from six for the three Irish provinces in their back to back Champions Cup fixtures against English opposition. Munster got the better of old foes Leicester, Leinster were too good for Premiership champions Exeter, while Ulster resuscitated their hopes of knockout rugby with a brace of wins over Harlequins.
• 17th – Brazilian legend and 2007 Ballon d’Or winner Kaka announces his retirement from soccer.
• 20th – Bristol City cause a Carabao Cup upset beating Manchester United 2-1.
• 21st – CJ Stander signs a new contract with Munster and the IRFU ending speculation of a big money move abroad.
• 22nd – Arsenal and Liverpool get the festive football season up and running with a cracking 3-3 draw.
• 23rd – FC Barcelona run riot in El Clásico defeating arch rivals Real Madrid 3-0 moving fourteen points clear of Madrid.
• 27th – Liverpool set a new world-record transfer fee for a defender paying Southampton £75m for Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dijk.
• 30th – Former Republic of Ireland Under-19 manager Seán McCaffrey dies aged 58.

2017 was a truly memorable year. In 2018 Marking The Spot will take you every step of the way as the world of sport weaves move wonderful stories.

Thank you for all your support in 2017 and I wish you all a Happy New Year.