Irish pair in K2 final

Sports Digest: Neil Fleming and Brendan Maloney have reached today's A final of the Men's K2 (two-person kayak) 1,000-metre event at the European Flatwater Championships in Racice in the Czech Republic, writes Liam Gorman.

The Ireland team needed to finish in the top three in their semi-final yesterday, and they finished third, behind Spain and Denmark, with Britain's Paul Wycherley and Peter Almasi losing out in fourth.

The Spaniards won in a time of three minutes 23.44 seconds.

Maloney, who is from Malahide, Co Dublin, and Fleming, from Celbridge, Co Kildare, failed to make it through in the K2 500m semi-final later in the day, finishing seventh.

Both events are part of the Olympic programme, and the two Irishmen have targeted qualifying for Beijing next year.The Phoenix Park Motor Races, Ireland's most prestigious and longest-running motor-racing event, has been rejuvenated and is returning to the Phoenix Park on August 12th and 13th.

This year's Phoenix Park Races will be sponsored by the drivers and organised by the Leinster Motor Club, with Ann Stevens as clerk of the course.

The racing times for Saturday and Sunday will be announced on Monday, July 10th, when the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, draws the classes and their corresponding race times from 'The Dunlop International Challenge Cup' in Motorsport Ireland, Dawson Street.

From a spectators' point of view, a fantastic weekend's racing is guaranteed. Free tickets are available from www.phoenixparkmotorraces.org.

Eamon Crosbie's overall lead in the BMW Round Ireland race that held all day yesterday was in the balance last night as Eric Lisson's Cavatina hit back with a fast Rockabill check­in time at 7pm, writes David O'Brien.

The strongest winds of the race were sweeping Cavatina to a faster-than-expected finish after midnight. Headwinds of 15 knots, but a favourable tide, meant the 27-year-old yacht was expected to reach Dublin Bay by 10pm, leaving just over 20 miles to the Wicklow finish.

Twelve hours earlier, Crosbie's Teng Tools ran out of wind crossing the same stretch of water, and this wind hole may have added an hour to the defending champion's corrected time.

Crosbie's crew finished in Wicklow at 9.14am yesterday cheered on by clubmates from the National Yacht Club.