Equestrian Sport: Captain Gerry Flynn, named as one of the original five from which Ireland's Aga Khan Cup team will be chosen next week, has been dropped from the squad and will now compete at the Kerrygold Horse Show as an individual, writes Grania Willis.
At an emergency meeting in Athlone on Tuesday night, the selectors agreed to put Co Down rider Dermott Lennon in as a replacement for Flynn after his double clear in the British Nations Cup at Hickstead last Friday. Lennon has both Liscalgot and Garronturton Lady, which the selectors felt would offer a better choice than Flynn's sole contender, Carrig Dubh.
Flynn's top mare Rincoola Abu, the nine-year-old daughter of Cruising whose double clear sealed the Irish team victory in Falsterbo last month, will miss Dublin following an operation on a twisted gut last Sunday. The mare is expected to be out of action for up to two months.
Cian O'Connor, who has been on Ireland's winning teams at Athens, Helsinki, Drammen, Falsterbo and Hickstead, had been named as first reserve and was expected to be drafted into the team if there was a drop-out. But, he too has been demoted, and Kevin Babington has been called in as first reserve.
Thirty-year-old Babington, who has been based in America for the past 12 years, made his Nations Cup debut on the Irish team that finished third in Aachen last month and was put in as anchorman on the winning team at Hickstead, holding Carling King's tally to just four faults in the final round to stem the British challenge.
Rugby: The touring Irish Schools' side recorded their third successive victory, beating Australian Capital Territories 58-20. The ACT team contained several players who are expected to feature on the Australian side which will play the Irish on August 23rd.
In what tour manager Barney McGonigle described as "perhaps the best performance so far", the Irish led 27-0 at half-time. Eoghan Hickey kicked Ireland into the lead after a minute with a penalty and converted John O'Connor's 10th-minute try to set the Irish on their way.
Dermot O'Riordan scored the second try for the Irish, and in the 24th minute Scott Young scored the first of his hat-trick.
Irish schools: D O'Riordan (Rockwell); A Maxwell (RBAI), G Duffy (Roscrea) capt, G Mitchell (Campbell), S Young (Campbell); E Hickey (DLS Churchtown), F Murphy (CBC Cork); J Lyne (Castleknock), C Tucker (St Munchin's), E McGovern (Crescent), M Carroll (Blackrock), M McCullough (Ballymena), D Leamy (Rockwell), J O'Connor (Crescent), S Jennings (St Mary's). Replacements: S Keogh (St Munchin's) for Carroll; J Danagher (Blackrock) for McGovern; R Wilson (RBAI) for Jennings; I Humphreys (Ballymena) for Hickey; R Best (Portadown) for Tucker.
Rowing: The Irish men's lightweight quadruple scull won themselves a place in the semi-finals at the World Championships for non-Olympic events at Zagreb last evening. The Irish team needed to be in the top three in their repechage to join all the other Irish crews in tomorrow's semis and took a comfortable third in quite a fast heat, behind Portugal and the US.
Gaelic Games: Inspired by Declan Browne, Tipperary toppled All-Ireland champions Cork 119 to 0-15 in an exciting Munster intermediate hurling final at Thurles last evening. Browne scored all of Tipperary's 19 tally in the first half.
Tipperary: S Butler; B Hogan, M Ryan, M Gleeson; J Teehan, D Hackett, D Gleeson; S Maher (0-1), B Stritch; D Corcoran (0-1), C Morrissey (0-2), D O'Connor (0-3); R Killeen, P Maguire (0-2), D Browne (1-10). Subs: C Bonner for Stritch; S O'Meara for Killeen.
Cork: B Rochford; J Olden, L Hayes, D Lynch; D Murphy, J O'Driscoll, J Barrett; T O Mathuna, A O'Connor (0-1); J O'Callaghan (0-4), M Daly (0-3), D O'Donoghue; J Kingston (0-1), R Dwane (0-1) D Moher (0-5). Subs: W Twomey for Olden; S Farrel for O Mathuna; P Dinneen for O'Donoghue; G Cummins for Kingston.
Referee: J Sexton (Limerick).
