A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Splaine on the double
EQUESTRIAN: Robert Splaine, one of five men facing an interview panel for the job of senior show jumping team manager in Dublin today, was operating from the other side of the fence at the weekend when notching up a double on the Spanish Sunshine Tour.The Cork man steered his veteran 17-year-old stallion Clarion Hotels Coolcorron Cool Diamond to victory in Saturday's feature jump-off class in Vejer de la Frontera at the expense of Britain's John Whitaker.
Splaine was back at the head of the line 24 hours later when claiming the mini-Grand Prix with Merlin's Magic.
Peter Charles featured as part of an eight-way divide after recording a double clear with Rockstar in one of the young horse classes.
Tipperary rider Denis Lynch kept the Irish flag flying at the Belgian fixture in Neeroeteren, guiding the seven-year-old Hari to the forefront of a 56-starter field to claim the honours in the two-phase class. By Grania Willis Equestrian Correspondent
MacHale sixth in Rally Mexico
MOTORSPORT:Ireland's Gareth MacHale and Paul Nagle finished in sixth place overall yesterday in the Rally Mexico, the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
In only their second WRC event, they were the highest placed Ford crew, after championship leader Marcus Gronholm and fellow Finn Mikko Hirvonen both crashed their latest works Ford Focus RS WRCs.
McHale said: "We came here with no expectations at all. It's our first gravel event in the car. It gives me a lot of confidence for the future. I'm absolutely delighted."
The rally was won by world champion Sebastien Loeb, who finally got his first win of the season with a polished performance.
Loeb ended Gronholm's winning streak to move into the championship lead as he looks for a title hat-trick.
The Citroen driver wrestled the lead from Subaru rival Petter Solberg and never looked in danger on the final three stages.
He won the first and then cruised through the remaining two to win by 48.9 seconds from Solberg.
Third-place man Manfred Stohl, in an OMV Peugeot, finished nearly five minutes behind.
Daniel Sordo, a protege of former world champion Carlos Sainz, scored an impressive fourth in his Citroen while Henning Solberg was fifth in a Peugeot.
Gronholm was allowed to rejoin with a 20-minute penalty, five for each stage he missed due to his crash, and he fought back to claim a solitary point for eighth. He trails Loeb by five points.
