SPORTS DIGEST:SAILING: Dublin crews have been eased out of the top standings in most of the major classes at the ISA Mitsubishi Youth National Championships that enters its final day on Dublin Bay this morning.
Countdown's Philip Doran has delivered a command performance in the Laser Radial fleet thanks in part to a hat-trick of wins in the 43-strong fleet yesterday. Strangford Lough's Robbie Gilmore leads the charge for the runner-up places.
In the smaller Laser 4.7 rigs, Seafra Guilfoyle from Royal Cork YC continued his winning form while Kinsale's Darragh O'Sullivan appears to be the only real challenger and two race wins for Blessington's Finn Lynch yesterday may not be enough to close the 17-pt gap to first place.
Surprise win at Limerick Regatta
ROWING:NUIG and Portora gathered up multiple wins at Limerick Regatta on Saturday at O'Brien's Bridge, but there was a surprise win for the University of Limerick/Garda composite in the men's senior four, writes Liam Gorman. The Grainne Mhaol/NUIG composite won the men's senior eight, and NUIG also took titles in the intermediate and novice eights and in the women's intermediate coxed four.
The winning men’s senior eight provided manpower for two men’s senior four crews, but the University of Limerick/Garda four of Conor Doorley, Stephen Penny, Niall Kenny and James Brynn beat both crews. “We put the cat among the pigeons there,” said University of Limerick coach James Mangan.
Enniskillen club Portora had a selection of good wins, from the men’s junior 18A eight to single sculler Holly Nixon, who won the women’s junior 18 single sculls.
Ireland stars in top form as Railway rattle Pembroke
CRICKET:Ireland's World Cup heroes shone on the opening weekend of the Leinster season as the title contenders in Division One posted some impressive results, writes EMMET RIORDAN.
Railway Union hammered Pembroke by 230 runs at Sydney Parade, with Kevin O’Brien and Trent Johnston impressing in front of national coach Phil Simmons.
Railway posted 345 for seven off their 50 overs, with Tom Fisher top-scoring with 74 and Johnston making 63 off 47 balls. Conor Mullen chipped in with 48, while O’Brien hit five sixes in making 46 off just 23 balls. O’Brien then starred with the ball, taking four for 15 runs as Pembroke were bowled out for 115.
The bowling performance of the weekend went to Clontarf’s international all-rounder Alex Cusack, who took five for 19 in a seven-wicket victory over Merrion at Anglesea Road, while John Mooney scored 81 in North County’s 81-run victory over Phoenix in Balrothery.
In the tightest finish, The Hills won by three runs in a low-scoring affair against YMCA at Claremont Road.
This afternoon sees the Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup get underway with three preliminary round ties. There will be much interest in proceedings in Rathmines, where the 2009 champions Leinster take on a Terenure side that is expected to include Ireland all-rounder Andre Botha after his move from North County. His old club are also in action in the league, where they host Clontarf.
Bronze medals for boxers
BOXING:Ireland's female boxers finished in eighth and 14th positions in the rankings tables at the first AIBA Womens World Youth and Junior Championships in Antalya, Turkey, writes BERNARD O'NEILL.
Belfast’s Michaela Walsh and Mayo’s Katie Rowland won World Youth bronze and Donegal’s Austeja Accueita won World Junior bronze at the 41-nation tournament which concluded on Saturday.
The Irish youth squad finished in eighth position.
Russia, China and India, in that order, commanded the top three spots, while Ireland’s Junior squad finished 14th.
Russia, Turkey and India, in that order, finished in the top three.
Walsh and Accueita were beaten by eventual World champions Ornella Wahner of Germany – who came from behind to beat Walsh by a point in the last four – and Agnes Alexiusson of Sweden.
Wahner beat England’s Charley Davison in the featherweight final and Alexiusson beat Russia’s Oxana Paltceva in the World Junior final.
Ireland upset the top seeds
SQUASH:Ireland upset the seedings at the European Team Championships in Finland on Saturday to finish third in the women's competition, their 2-0 defeat of second seeds France giving them their best placing in the event since 2005, writes MARY HANNIGAN.
Ranked fourth for the Championships, Ireland, represented by Madeline Perry, Aisling Blake, Claire Staunton and Claire O’Brien, were runners-up to the Netherlands in their pool after victories over Germany and Spain, but were beaten 3-0 by eventual winners England in the semi-finals.
Perry and Blake, though, sealed the victory over France on Saturday, Blake beating Isabelle Stoehr in four games and Perry coming back from two games down to defeat Camile Serme. The Irish men’s team beat Switzerland to finish fifth in division two of the Championships.
Roche produces a strong finish
CYCLING:After finishing back in 79th in Saturday's time trial, Nicolas Roche fared much better in yesterday's final stage of the Tour de Romandie. The Ag2r La Mondiale rider sprinted to the line in Geneva in eighth place, being part of a main bunch led in by Ben Swift (Sky Procycling).
Double Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) held off Tony Martin (HTC Highroad) and Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) to claim overall victory.
