Athletics: Sonia O'Sullivan continued her impressive countdown to the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon with another 1,500 win in Australia yesterday. O'Sullivan clocked four minutes 6.20 seconds when winning the event at the Sydney Grand Prix, almost six seconds quicker than her time in Melbourne last week.
Despite the breezy conditions at the Sydney Athletics Centre, it was also the fastest time she has ever run in Australia, improving on the 4:08.79 achieved in 1998. The competition was entirely Australian, but O'Sullivan finished over two seconds ahead of Georgie Clarke (4:08.91).
O'Sullivan will now have two tests over 3,000 metres - the event she will target to win in Lisbon. The first of those will come tomorrow in Canberra and then at the Melbourne Track Classic the following Thursday, March 1st.
HURLING: Next Wednesday's Fitzgibbon Cup match between UCD and University of Limerick has been postponed until February 26th. The move follows last night's meeting of the Comhairle Ard Oideachais which decided to investigate claims that UL fielded an illegal player in the last round. According to CAO chairman Des Cullinane: "We hope to have the investigation completed by next weekend and in the circumstances it wouldn't have been fair on either team to have to play with this still unresolved."
If UL are found to have fielded an unregistered player they will in all likelihood be disqualified from the competition. Their match with UCD will decide one of the four qualifiers for the Fitzgibbon weekend to be held in UCD next month.
HOCKEY: Peter Darley and Denise McCarthy have been confirmed by the Irish Hockey Association as the new assistant coach and manager, respectively, of the senior women's team, succeeding Glynis Taylor and Joan Morgan who retired from their posts last year.
Darley, the former international goalkeeper who is in his first season as Hermes coach, was already involved in the senior set-up as goalkeeping coach but will now work as assistant to Riet Kuper in the build-up to September's World Cup Qualifier in France.
Appointments: Senior - Riet Kuper (coach), Peter Darley (assistant coach), Denise McCarthy (manager); Under-21: Grainne Friel (coach), Anthony O'Neill (assistant), Edel Hallissey (manager); Under-18: Erika Henry (coach), assistant and manager not yet announced; Under-16: Lesley Watkins (coach), assistant not yet announced, Linda Greer (manager).
COLLEGES HURLING: Good Counsel, New Ross, carried too much hurling know-how for St Brendan's of Birr, as they recorded a 0-12 to 1-3 win in the Leinster Colleges SHC A quarter-final at Dr Cullen Park, Carlow, yesterday.
GOOD COUNSEL: R Flynn; A Murphy, C Barron, P Kehoe; J Murphy, R Gaul, D Bardon; M Phelan 0-1, P Lyng; J Lawlor 0-5, T Hendrick, T Frisby 0-2; W O'Dwyer 0-3, M Kehoe, G O'Grady 0-1. Subs: N Collins for P Kehoe, K Kennedy for Murphy, J Murphy for Hendrick, A O'Connor for A Murphy.
ST BRENDAN'S, BIRR: S O'Connor; J Bell, M Delaney, E Scully; C Egan, C Horan, S Larkin; S Brown 0-1, R Dooley 0-1; S Guinan, J Pardy, C Cahill; D Hayden 0-1, T Hannon 1-0, M Dwane.
Referee: P Dunphy, Kilkenny.
BOXING: Neil Gough, the 31-year-old St Paul's, Waterford, veteran, reached his 11th Irish senior championship final when he stopped Belfast's Andy Gibson in the second round at the National Stadium last night. Gough's experience has never told heavier on an opponent and he led 5-1 after the first round.
