SPORTS DIGEST:CYCLING: Spanish rider Juan Jose Cobo seized the red race leader's jersey in the Tour of Spain yesterday, writes SHANE STOKES.
He broke clear close to the base of the final climb of the Angliru and soloing up the wall-like slopes to hit the line 48 seconds ahead.
Wout Poels (Vacansoleil DCM) was second while Britain's Chris Froome (Sky Procycling) was fourth. His team-mate Bradley Wiggins cracked near the summit and lost the race lead, with Froome now closest to Cobo.
He's 20 seconds back with Wiggins 46 seconds behind. Irish rider Dan Martin finished 11th, moving from 21st to 16th overall as a result. Nicolas Roche finished over six minutes back in 33rd and dropped to 20th overall.
Railway bridge gap with third title
CRICKET: Railway Union bridged a gap stretching back to 1962 on Saturday as they claimed their third Leinster Senior League Division One title with a three-wicket victory over The Hills at Park Avenue, writes EMMET RIORDAN.
After keeping the visitors to a score of 185 for nine in their 50 overs, it was skipper Tom Fisher who played the vital innings, making 77 as Railway got home with 57 balls to spare.
YMCA won the relegation decider at Claremont Road, beating Phoenix by 20 runs to send them back down to Division Two along with Pembroke.
The promoted clubs were already known, but there was still the matter of the title up for grabs at Rathmines. Terenure took the honours, winning by 27 runs.
Waringstown won their third Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup title as they beat NCU rivals Instonians by 16 runs on Duckworth Lewis at North Down, after making it to 125 for two after 29 overs in reply to Instonians 237 for eight before the rain arrived.
Lorenzo ends Stoner’s run
MOTOR SPORT:Jorge Lorenzo closed the gap to Casey Stoner at the top of the MotoGP standings with his third win of the season in yesterday's Gran Premio di San Marino.
The Spaniard led throughout on his factory Yamaha at Misano to end Stoner’s three-race winning run, with compatriot Dani Pedrosa second as Stoner was forced to settle for the final podium spot.
From second on the grid, Lorenzo stole ahead of his title rival into the first corner and never relinquished it, with Pedrosa steadily reeling in the Australian –his Repsol Honda team-mate — and claiming second spot with seven laps remaining.
West Kirby prove too strong
SAILING:West Kirby Sailing Club won the Team Racing World championship open and youth titles at Schull after steadily improving performances over four days, writes DAVID BRANIGAN.
A strong wind forecast fore-shortened the championship to end on Saturday but even at the end of the round robin series in the open event, the West Kirby ‘GBR 1’ team had already topped the 12 team competition. But in the youth event, it was Schull Sailing Club as the third Irish youth team that held sway to top their league, only losing out to their West Kirby opponents in the final. Meanwhile, at nearby Baltimore Sailing Club, the Corona 1720 Euro championship was won convincingly by Mark Mansfield. On Dublin Bay yesterday there was no racing due to strong winds and the Star European Championship will instead hope for two races today.
Irish crews miss out on medals on final day
ROWING:Ireland had two A Finalists on the final day of the World Rowing Championships at Brest in Slovenia yesterday, but both crews missed out on taking a medal.
The men’s lightweight quadruple scull came close. The crew of Niall Kenny, Michael Maher, Justin Ryan and Mark O’Donovan held third place through half way and 1,500 metres, but Denmark were always tracking the boys in green. The Danes overtook the Ireland crew in the last quarter to take bronze behind Italy and Germany, who took gold and silver. Ireland were fourth, just over one second behind Denmark.
The Ireland Adaptive mixed coxed Four had already secured the holy grail by finishing second in Saturday’s A/B semi-final which guaranteed a certain place for the boat at next year’s Paralympic Games.
Yesterday, Anne-Marie McDaid, Sarah Caffrey, Shane Ryan, Kevin du Toit and cox Helen Arbuthnot decided to push their limits in the first half of the race, but it did not work out. However they had what coach John Armstrong called “a good solid second half” and finished fifth. Britain, Canada and Germany took the medals.
Kearney wins bronze in Belgium
EQUESTRIAN:Helen Kearney from Dunlavin, Co Wicklow, won an individual bronze for Ireland on Saturday at the European para-dressage championships in Moorsele, Belgium. Kearney (22), who suffers from Friedreichs Ataxia and competes at Grade 1A level, finished on a total of 73.110 per cent.
The winner, Britain’s Anne Dunham, scored 74.950 on Teddy with her team-mate, Emma Sheardon (Purdy’s Dream), claiming silver on 73.400. Kearney’s mount was the 12-year-old Coolcorran Cool Diamond gelding Mister Cool.
