In a sport steeped in family tradition Irish jockey Leigh Roche is the exception rather than the rule.Theres no background of horses or racing in my family at all, Roche told AAP.Im the black sheep of the family.The 24-year-old is on a three-month stint with Sydneys premier trainer Chris Waller and will make his metropolitan Saturday debut at Rosehill.Roche will ride Wine Tales and Quick Defence for Waller and Lubiton for Bjorn Baker.At the age of 12, Roche contacted Galway trainer David Ryan asking for part-time work at the stable.I rang him when I was on my summer holidays from school and asked could I have a summer job because I wanted to be a jockey, Roche said.I got the bug and I havent looked back.Ryan, who is the father of Victoria-based Irish jumps jockey Tom, gave him his start and four years later he was apprenticed to legendary trainer and two-time Melbourne Cup winner Dermot Weld.Roche sees similarities between Waller and Weld in their approach to training.Chris is more or less the exactly same as him in work ethic and attitude, Roche said.In eight years with Weld, Roche has tasted stakes success as the stables No. 2 rider behind Pat Smullen.Australian racing has its pitfalls for Irish and British riders, with Roche quickly learning the disadvantages in being caught three-wide on tight-turning tracks.Firmer surfaces also provided a culture shock.The first day I came to Kembla Grange was a soft five and I was thinking Jesus, this is lovely ground, Roche said.It was a nice side of good and I couldnt believe it.It didnt stop him from riding a winner at his first Australian meeting and he has since added two more.Wallers racing manager Charlie Duckworth works closely with Roche and says he has been drawing praise from some unexpected quarters.He has been complimented by the stewards of all people for his adaptability and understanding of the rules, Duckworth said.Fellow Irishman Lee Magorrian is also with Waller on a scholarship for star New Zealand-based apprentices which has been taken up in the past by Jason Collett, his sister Alysha, Danielle Johnson and Chris Dell.The three-kilogram claiming apprentice has three rides for Waller at Rosehill, while English jockey Charlie Bishop who has also joined the stable in recent months will be at Kembla Grange.We hope hes going to be a leading light in the provincials and hopefully hell be good enough to crack it in the city, Duckworth said. Jeff Walker Jersey Retro . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Myron Pryor Jersey Retro . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/taylor-decker-jersey-retro/ . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Randy Coffield Jersey Retro . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Kevin Wyatt Jersey Retro . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. The knockout matches of the Ranji Trophy have been rescheduled to accommodate the two league fixtures in Delhi which were postponed due to pollution and smog. The quarter-finals, initially scheduled to begin on December 17, will now be held from December 24 to 28.The semi-finals were moved from December 27 to January 3, while the final, originally set to be played from January 7, will now take place from January 12 to 16. The BCCI also announced that the Irani Cup, to be played between the Ranji winners and Rest of India, will be held from January 22 to 26.The two postponed league matches - the Group A clash between Gujarat and Bengal and the Group C fixture between Hyderabad and Tripura - will now be played from December 15 to 18 in Visakhapatnam and Kolkata respectively.Both the fifth-round games, originally scheduled to be played at Feroz Shah Kotla and the Karnaill Singh Stadium respectively, were called off without a ball being bowled.dddddddddddd The players had complained of burning eyes on the opening day, and play was called off on the second afternoon after there was no improvement in the air quality. The smog was believed to be an after-effect of Diwali fireworks, as well as the burning of paddy stubble in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.The BCCI had then announced that the matches would be played after the league phase, and shifted games out of Delhi in the next round. The Group B fixture between Assam and Odisha, originally scheduled at the Karnail Singh Stadium, was shifted to Hyderabad, while the Hyderabad-Services game in Group C was moved from Feroz Shah Kotla to Mumbai. ' ' '