CYCLING: Italian rider Damiano Cunego repeated his 2004 victory in the Tour of Lombardy on Saturday when he outsprinted Riccardo Riccò (Saunier Duval-Prodir) to the line at the end of the tough Italian Classic, writes Shane Stokes.
The two had broken away on the final climb of the 242km race and hit the finish 10 seconds clear of six chasers, this sextet being led home by Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Andy Schleck (Team CSC).
ProTour leader Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) finished sixth and secured his win in the prestigious year-long contest.
Philip Deignan (Ag2r Prévoyance) was best of the two Irishmen, finishing eight minutes and 13 seconds back in 40th place. Nicolas Roche was 12:49 down in 104th.
The latter also lined out in the Chrono des Herbiers time trial in France yesterday. He was 16th, five minutes 27.5 seconds behind his team-mate Laszlo Bodrogi (Crédit Agricole).
Mockford's golden goal
WOMEN'S HOCKEY: It was honours even in the six Leinster v Ulster Irish Senior Cup first-round ties on Saturday, with UCD, Railway Union and Pembroke Wanderers getting the better of their Ulster opponents, while North Down, Lisnagarvey and Ards overcame Leinster opposition to advance to the second round, writes Mary Hannigan.
North Down's game against Corinthian went into extra-time, with Andrea Mockford getting the golden-goal winner.
Second division Lisnagarvey had a fine 3-1 win away to Genesis, with Diane Topley, Janet McCutcheon and Gillian Buttery getting their goals, while Ards came back from a goal down to beat Three Rock 4-1.
Two of UCD's Irish panellists, Róisín Flinn and Christine Quinlan, helped them to a 3-1 win at Ballymena, with Pembroke and Railway comfortable winners over Portadown and Lurgan, Railway the weekend's top scorers in a 6-0 win.
Big tallies all round
MEN'S HOCKEY: It was a prolific weekend of scoring in the Leinster Senior League. Pembroke Wanderers hit eight goals against the students of UCD, writes Johnny Watterson.
Corinthians scored four goals against YMCA at Claremont Road while Three Rock Rovers hit Kilkenny for six. Glenanne ran in five against Monkstown, while Fingal topped everyone, hitting nine goals against Bray.
That sequence has put a number of teams on equal points at the top of the table. Glenanne, Three Rock Rovers and Pembroke are all on nine points and setting the pace.
No surprise there, although all three clubs will be keeping an eye on their post-Christmas fixture list when their international players will be largely unavailable because of Ireland's involvement in the Olympic qualifying event in New Zealand next year.
Pembroke's Ian Symmons bagged the biggest goal tally: four against the Belfield students.
Bronze for women
ROWING: Killorglin's women's coxed four took a bronze medal for Ireland at the World Coastal Rowing Championships in Mandelieu, France, yesterday, writes Liam Gorman.
High winds had forced the cancellation of much of Saturday's programme, and the Irish women found themselves in action in a deferred race early yesterday morning.
They took the delay in their stride and led in the early stages.
Crefelder of Germany took over the lead and took gold, with Poland's representatives passing Ireland to take the silver.
Laura D'Urso from Donegal and Sandra Wall from Clonmel joined Caroline O'Riordan, Katherine Morris and cox Deirdre O'Donoghue in the Killorglin boat.
Ireland's other representatives in a relatively big field did not fare as well. The Neptune quadruple scull, which included Irish international Paul O'Brien, did not make it into their A final.
Hickey hits good form
SHOW JUMPING: Irish riders maintained their winning form overseas at the weekend when Limerick's John Hickey landed Saturday night's speed Derby at the four-star show in Helsinki, Finland, writes Margie McLoone.
The 41-year-old, riding his own stallion Cool Hill, had two seconds in hand over Sweden's Malin Baryard Johnsson and H&M Tamina.
In the puissance, Hickey and The One finished third to France's Jean Marc Nicolas and Switzerland's Pius Schwizer, who divided first prize.
In the afternoon's Grand Prix, Captain Shane Carey and River Foyle recorded two clear rounds but their time of 47.17 in the jump-off was only good enough for fourth behind Schwizer and Nobless M.
At home, Greg Broderick moved to 31 points in the Bloxham Grand Prix league when finishing second with Pikolino in yesterday's qualifier at the Clare Equestrian Centre.
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