TENNIS:Ireland's 3-0 win over Moldova yesterday in their group three Europe/Africa Zone Federation Cup tie in Mauritius puts them in the perfect position for promotion into a higher Federation Cup group next year, writes Johnny Watterson.
Having now won the first three of their pool games in Mauritius this week against Moldova, Malta and Montenegro, Ireland face the toughest opponents in the pool, Latvia, in the final game. Winning the pool would ensure that next year the Irish team will play against the likes of Greece and South Africa in the higher division.
With the exception of the first match against Montenegro, which went down to the doubles match, Ireland have not been stretched at all. The side subsequently beat Malta 3-0 and Moldova 3-0 to set up the promotion match against Latvia.
The team of Kelly Liggan, Emma Murphy, Yvonne Doyle and Rachael Dillon, a mix of experience and youth, dropped only nine games over six sets yesterday. Murphy defeated her opponent 6-0, 6-2 with Liggan winning 6-0, 6-2. The doubles partnership of Dillon and Doyle also romped home 6-3, 6-2.
"Our goal coming here was to get to the stage where we are playing off for promotion and we've got there," said captain Gary Cahill. "The first thing is to get out of this group and then stay there for a year or two before some of the good junior players start coming through. You need to have players in the top 200 to 300. If we could do that and get promoted we've a possibility of then staying there.
"DRUGS IN SPORT: Six Austrian Winter Games athletes were banned for life from the Olympics yesterday for possession of doping equipment.
The six, four cross-country skiers and two biathletes, were ruled "permanently ineligible for all future Olympic Games in any capacity".
In February 2006, after a tip-off from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Italian authorities raided a private house in which Austrian athletes were living during the Turin Olympics.
"The Italian report showed very clearly that a great quantity of medical equipment had been seized in this apartment used by athletes. This goes from saline solution, syringes, bags for storing blood and many other things," German IOC member Thomas Bach told reporters in Beijing.
"Handkerchiefs were found with blood stains. And other equipment was found to be blood-stained.
"Some athletes gave testimony in writing, some did not. In evaluating all this and the explanations, we came to the conclusion that these athletes committed a violation of the anti-doping rules of the IOC by possessing medical devices and material.
"This possession alone was enough to constitute an offence
. . . a violation of the code," Bach, chairman of the IOC's disciplinary commission, added.
The banned athletes were Wolfgang Perner, Roland Diethart, Johannes Eder, Juergen Pinter, Martin Tauber and Wolfgang Rottman.
GAELIC GAMES: A goal, seven minutes from time, from Peter Acheson sealed a 1-12 to 0-8 win for Tipperary in their Munster Minor Football Championship tie with Waterford in Fermoy yesterday.
Tipperary led 0-7 to 0-3 at the break with Conor Sweeney grabbing four points. Waterford's Christopher Casey landed five frees after the break but Acheson sealed victory. Tipp face Cork in the semi-final.
TIPPERARY: K Kenrick; L Moore, C McDonald, K O'Riordan; J Coughlan, D Lynch, E Kennedy; P Acheson (1-0), D Lynagh (0-2); C Sheehan (0-2), J Coady, A Lonergan (0-1); C Sweeney (0-4), P Horan, S Carey (0-3). Subs: P Leahy for Coughlan, M Hickey for Coady, K Walzer for Sweeney, C Scully for Horan.
WATERFORD: M Walsh; C Nugent, A Seward, J McGrath; P Kiely, T Prendergast, T Houlihan; J O'Mahony (0-1), S Aherne; C O'Neill, I Power, P Ó Gribhthin; J Flynn, C Casey (0-7), S Corcoran. Subs: N Walsh for Flynn, C Hennessey for Gribhthin, E Lonergan for Seward, E Quann for Corcoran.
Referee: Martin Collins (Cork).
