Show Jumping: Trevor Coyle, who bids for a £400,000 jackpot at the Dutch fixture in Valkenswaard that stages the second leg of the valuable Pulsar series this weekend, has been named at the head of Ireland's squad for the European showjumping championships in Hickstead at the end of the month, writes Grania Willis.
Coyle's victory with Cruising in the Aachen Grand Prix in June set up the first link in a chain that could net him over £1 million in prize-money. If Coyle and the stallion win in Valkenswaard, they will then be going for the £1 million hat trick at the Mexican show in Monterrey which takes place in October.
The selectors have named Coyle and four others for the European championships, where the Irish squad will not only be aiming for the medals, but will also be hoping to clinch a qualifying slot for next year's Olympic Games in Sydney.
Marion Hughes, who joined Coyle on a zero score after the two rounds of the Aga Khan last Friday, has also been picked for the championships, along with Jessica Kurten, Peter Charles and Edward Doyle. Charles is still not back to full fitness after the ankle injury that has kept him out of action, but is planning to ride in Valkenswaard this week.
Army rider Captain Gerry Flynn, who made his Aga Khan debut at the Kerrygold Horse Show last week, was not put forward for selection by the Equitation School's commanding officer, Lt-Col Ronnie MacMahon.
Television: British sports presenter Helen Rollason lost her two-year fight against cancer yesterday. She was 43.
Her agent, Sue Knight, said she died peacefully at her Essex home surrounded by her family and friends.
Rollason, who was a familiar face presenting television sports news bulletins and BBC's flagship sports programme Grandstand, survived for two years after doctors diagnosed colon and liver cancer and gave her three months to live.
Last month she went to Buckingham Palace in a wheelchair to receive an MBE. A divorcee, Rollason left a daughter, Nikki, aged 16.
Snooker: The snooker world has been thrown into turmoil again with the shock dismissal of new chief executive Peter Middleton.
Middleton, chairman of the Football League and a widely respected businessman, was seen as the saviour of the sport when he was appointed on June 1st.
However, the 59-year-old was summoned to a meeting yesterday and given the news by Rex Williams, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.
Middleton said yesterday: "My immediate plan is to have a meeting with my solicitor. I'm not saying anything else on or off the record other than that I hope to have an opportunity to explain to the members, for the record, that I had things to say that certain Board members didn't like."
Tennis: Owen Casey will be trying for a hat trick of title wins at the East of Ireland Senior Open tennis championships at Londonbridge Road this week. Casey is seeded to meet the former Irish junior champion Nicky Malone in Saturday's final. Last year's women's champion Gina Niland is seeded at two, Karen Nugent the top seed for the event.
