BASKETBALL: The Tralee Tigers maintained their course to the play-offs and the southern conference title when they recovered from Friday's defeat in the Kerry derby, losing 90-88 to St Paul's, to record a 83-76 victory over Neptune yesterday, writes Gavin Cummiskey.
Kieran Donaghy, temporarily returning to the fold while suspended from football, registered 24 points. The result leaves St Paul's and Neptune level on 23 points in third and fourth but the former have almost a 50-point for/against spread advantage.
The Demons beat St Paul's yesterday, 88-81.
Tomorrow's repeat of the Kerry derby between Tralee and St Paul's will go a long way to deciding the final standings.
The northern conference also remains ridiculously tight, with Killester two points clear of a three-team chasing pack - St Vincent's, Ballina and Shamrock Rovers Hoops - on 32 points, while Belfast Star remain in touch on 28. Killester overpowered St Vincent's 85-68 yesterday, while on Saturday Ballina edged past Star 109 to 103 and St Vincent's overcame UCD Marian 117 to 98.
Meanwhile, UL Aughinish were crowned the woman's Superleague champions after a 66-43 victory over Killester also on Saturday.
CYCLING:Brian Kenneally (Myhome.ie, Cycleways) showed his good early-season form when he cruised to victory in the Cycleways Cup in Navan yesterday, writes Shane Stokes.
He opened up a gap over Neill Delahaye by the end of the 73-mile event, with the latter's Usher IRC team-mate Greg Swinand outsprinting Seán Lacey (Murphy and Gunn, Newlyn Group, M Donnelly) for third. Another Murphy and Gunn, Newlyn Group, M Donnelly rider, Isaac Speirs was fifth, with John O'Brien (Dan Morrissey, Carrick Wheelers) taking sixth.
Geoff McNamara (Clonmel CC) won the Cycle Pursuits race in Limerick. Sam Bennett (Dan Morrissey/Carrick Wheelers) and Denis Dunworth (Killorglin CC) were second and third, with national women's RR champion Siobhán Dervan (Lotto Ladies) in sixth. Paul Griffin (Giant Asia) set the fastest time.
Adam Armstrong won the Phoenix GP at Nutts Corner while Shaun Gray (Orchard Wheelers) soloed to victory in Saturday's Annaclone GP.
MOTOR CYCLING:James Toseland powered clear at the top of the World Superbike Championship standings yesterday after coming away with a win and a second place from two races at Phillip Island in Australia. The British rider held off defending champion Troy Bayliss to win the day's second race at the 4.4-kilometre track having earlier finished second behind the home favourite in race one.
The double podium elevates the 2004 champion to a 16-point championship lead over former MotoGP star Max Biaggi, the Alstare Suzuki rider having left Australia with a podium in race one and a fourth in race two.
Ducati Xerox rider Bayliss, meanwhile, surged into third place in the standings on the back of an improved performance at his home race, having struggled at the season opener in Losail a fortnight ago.
Toseland's race two triumph came despite a bad start from second place on the grid.
Bayliss and Toseland then raced clear of a heated battle for third place involving Biaggi and Motor Italia Yamaha team-mates Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga, with the leading pair rarely separated by more than a second as they battled to the flag. And Toseland withstood the pressure from the reigning champion to claim the win by 0.274 seconds.
CRICKET:All-rounder Justin Kemp and batsman Herschelle Gibbs suffered injury scares during training on the eve of today's South Africa's World Cup warm-up match against Ireland.
Kemp was hit on the left big toe by fast bowler Charl Langeveldt while he batted in the nets on Sunday. Gibbs injured a finger during a fielding drill.
South Africa's team doctor, Mohammad Moosajee, said neither player had suffered a fracture and the players are expected to be back in action before long although they could miss the match against Ireland.
"We had both of them X-rayed as a precaution and both X-rays came back clear," Moosajee said. "Their injuries are more of a soft-tissue and ligament nature, there is no damage to the bone and they shouldn't be affected too much."
Kemp said he feared the worst immediately after the ball struck his toe. "I really thought that was the end of my World Cup," Kemp said as he limped through the team's hotel lobby after returning from his trip to the doctor.
The warm-up match will be played at the Frank Worrell Oval on the University of the West Indies campus. South Africa are in Group A and open their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on March 16th. Champions Australia and Scotland complete the group.
