Sports Digest/BOXING: Those who like a touch of nostalgia in their sport were provided with an interesting, if curious, mixture when the National Senior Championships semi-finals were decided at the National Stadium last night, writes Pat Roche.
Paul Hendricks, the Baldoyle lightweight, endeavouring to follow in the footsteps of his former champion father, Ned, was ousted by Dean Murphy of St Saviour's in the most disappointing manner.
Remarkably, Hendricks was awarded only one point before the bout ended in favour of Murphy, who had surpassed the 20-point mark seven seconds into the third round.
Hendricks contributed to quite an exhibition of combination punching and the decisive manner in which he was beaten caused huge surprise among ringsiders.
In the very next contest the Wexford flyweight Derek Thorpe, a nephew of former Wexford hurling icon Wilkie, boxed his way to an impressive 12-7 win over DJ Doheny of the Portlaoise club.
EQUESTRIAN SPORT: Eddie Macken, the man at the centre of a major controversy in the show jumping world last summer, has been offered the job as chef d'equipe and team trainer for the senior squad this season, writes Grania Willis.
Macken was brought in as team trainer in February last year but was then dramatically sacked after a run of disappointing results in the Samsung Super League Nations Cup series.
He was eventually reinstated in the run-up to the Athens Olympics.
The international affairs committee, chaired by Dubliner Taylor Vard, voted to offer the job of chef d'equipe and trainer to Macken at a meeting on Thursday night.
The choice of Macken was ratified by the EFI yesterday afternoon. Macken, who is now based in Canada, has not yet confirmed acceptance of the offer.
HOCKEY: Omagh Academy completed their debut in the All-Ireland Schools' finals in some style yesterday, taking the title with a 100 per cent winning record, writes Mary Hannigan.
Following Thursday's defeats of Jesuit College, Galway, and Mount Mercy, Cork, the Ulster champions scored seven goals without reply in yesterday's wins over Loreto Kilkenny (4-0) and Alexandra College (3-0). Mount Mercy took second place by beating Kilkenny and Jesuit College.
