Sports Digest : Eugene Moriarty continued the excellent Hibernian Team Ireland display in the Tour de Langkawi yesterday when he took 10th on the stage to Tampin, writes Shane Stokes.
Moriarty finished fifth in the bunch gallop, outsprinting famed Italian specialist Ivan Quaranta (Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave).
All of the other Irish riders finished in the same time, with Philip Deignan 21st across the line and Paul Griffin 30th. Deignan and David McCann retain their 12th and 13th places overall in advance of today's crucial 18 km time trial.
Yesterday's sweltering stage was the second in a row to go to an Australian, with Team Barloworld rider Sean Sullivan taking the honours ahead of De Nardi's Devis Miorin. The two had been clear for most of the stage and reached the line over one minute clear of three chasers, with the peloton one minute and 29 seconds down.
Moriarty was helped by McCann in the final run-in to the line, the Kerry rider then going on to take what was arguably the best result of his amateur career.
"It was pretty hairy there in the run-in to the line," he said. "There was a lot of pushing and shoving going on, but I don't really mind it that much as these guys are pros and know what they can get away with without causing a crash.
"I got a good wheel and just went for it."
TENNIS: The future of French Davis Cup captain Guy Forget, who hit out at French Federation (FFT) officials for failing to support him during France's win over Croatia at the weekend, will be discussed at a board meeting on Friday.
The FFT said in a statement it was "surprised and disappointed by the unjustified criticism" expressed by Forget in a news conference after France's 4-1 win on Sunday.
Forget hinted he might have lost his job had France failed to beat Croatia in the world group first round match.
"I felt under pressure . . . It's something I can't let go," he said. "If we had not won the tie, there would have been only one person responsible - me."
The dispute appears to have been spurred by Forget's decision to kick doubles specialist Fabrice Santoro out of the team for "differences of opinion".
SWIMMING: Swim Ireland will convene for its contentious e.g.m. at Letterkenny next Saturday when financial matters and the appointment of a CEO, a new post for the association, will top the agenda, writes Pat Roche.
Sarah Keane, a solicitor and former Irish championship swimmer, is set to be installed as CEO, while a lengthy debate is expected on foot of the Deloitte and Touche report which recommended an internal audit and a review of the governance of the organisation.
Delegates will be in unanimous agreement on the major issue, that of having Irish Sports Council funding restored sooner rather than later.
Suspension of funding has already affected the Leisureland International Meet in Salthill listed for the weekend after next.
Any lack of funding, however, went over the young heads of the competitors during the record-smashing Irish Schools championships at Leisureland at the weekend, when old standards tumbled at an inordinate rate. Galway SC swimmers accounted for seven records.
A new star was born in Galway's David Kelly, a gifted 15-year-old who smashed the national intermediate record with a stunning 52.01 seconds for the 100 metres freestyle.
