Hanley fails to make Las Vegas

Sports Digest/ SHOW JUMPING: Cameron Hanley's hopes of earning a place on the Las Vegas starting grid for next month's World Cup final were crushed yesterday when a first-round four faults left him down in 32nd in the western European league, a long way off the top-18 place he needed to make the cut, writes Grania Willis.

The Mayoman seemed to be using high-octane fuel when he finished second in Saturday morning's opening speed class with Livello, but only a win would do in yesterday's qualifier, as the Dutch round was the last remaining chance to pick up points for the Vegas final.

Just four found the key to the first round course and neither Hanley nor Jessica Kurten were amongst them. Hanley's relatively slow time left him in 14th place at the finish and the three points garnered were nothing like enough to book his ticket for the final.

Kurten, who claimed second place in last year's cup final in Kuala Lumpur, also failed to make the grade. With two down in the first round on Galopin du Biolay yesterday, she wound up well off the pace in 21st, dropping to 46th in the western European league. Honours went to Sweden's Royne Zetterman, who had shared 44th place with Kurten in the league going into yesterday's last qualifier, but even the 20 points for the win wasn't enough to get him into the final, leaving him in 24th overall.

CYCLING: Paul Griffin finished a strong ninth in the 2.2-ranked Tour de Taiwan on Saturday, having jumped up the classification from 21st place on Friday's penultimate stage, writes Shane Stokes.

Griffin finished 12th on that day's 188-kilometre race from Taichung to Taipei, coming home in a group sprinting for seventh place. They crossed the line some 35 seconds after Robert McLachlan (Drapac Porsche) beat five breakaway companions to win the stage. Giffin then finished in the main bunch on the concluding Taipei Criterium, making sure of his top-10 placing.

At home, his Giant Asia team-mate Ryan Connor took a rare double over the weekend. He won the Wallace Caldwell Memorial on Saturday, taking an early lead in the Slane Cycles Ulster Classic League, then won the PJ Logan Cup yesterday.