TENNIS: With the men's seeded players having the day off, there was little scope for shock results as the national indoor championships got under way at the David Lloyd Riverview club in Dublin yesterday, writes Pat Roche.
The surprise entry, Cork-born Barry Fulcher, a player ranked 330 in the world, is set to play in his first Irish event today when he meets local player Cormac McNamara.
Fulcher is the top seed and the primary reason for his entry is to allow the Irish selectors to assess his form with Davis Cup selection in mind.
On court yesterday, Rory Green, a younger brother of former junior champion Joe, showed promise when winning a three setter at the expense of Ross Niland of Limerick.
Green's prospects did not look promising when he dropped the middle set 2-6 but his greater resilience saw him through 6-3 in a tense final set.
With Stephen Nugent the number two seed, Seán Copper at three and Conor Niland, the most recent recipient of Davis Cup honours, at four, the road ahead for the young guns looks a formidable one.
In addition, the holder, Nick Malone of Greystones, had to be satisfied with the fifth seeded spot and given his ability to overcome the odds last year, he must be given a reasonable chance of retaining the title.
The women's singles got off to a quiet start with Emer Sloan beating Aine Leonard in straight sets, 6-3 6-4.
SAILING: Neville Crichton's 90ft Alfa Romeo was off Flinders Island at first light yesterday with 170 miles to go to the finish of the Sydney-Hobart Race, a clear leader of the 55-boat fleet after mixed weather conditions across a benign Bass Strait, between the Australian mainland and Tasmania, writes Bob Fisher.
Alfa Romeo held a 12-mile lead over the 66ft Grundig of Sean Langman, a lightweight skiff-type boat that revelled in yesterday's light downwind conditions. Grundig had passed Briton's Mike Slade's 97ft Canon Leopard, the biggest boat in the fleet, and was 10 miles ahead.
Small boats were having a bonanza in the light running, with Robert Hick's 31ft Toecutter leading the IRC handicap fleet, in 24th place.
Guardian Service
OLYMPICS: Beijing aims to finish the construction of sporting facilities for the 2008 Olympic Games at least one year ahead of time so they can be tested, the mayor of the Chinese capital said yesterday.
Liu Qi, who is also president of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2008 Games, said the city would do all it could to ensure the stadia and the Olympic village were completed by the end of 2006. Test events could then be held during 2007, Liu said. "We are fully confident about achieving this goal."
GAELIC GAMES: The Munster GAA Council has given the thumbs up to the Limerick county board to combine phases one and two of the €12 million development of the Gaelic Grounds.
Phase one, which is well under way, includes a transformation of the Caherdavin end of the ground and of the sideline opposite the Mackey Stand.
The city end is now to be developed simultaneously and the project is expected to be finished in July, when it will be available for the All-Ireland qualifiers.
The new-look Ennis Road venue will have capacity of 51,000, making it the largest venue outside Croke Park.
Limerick will launch the next stage of their fundraising campaign in a fortnight when they will be targeting the business community.
