Doherty in upbeat mood

Snooker: Victory in the Malta Grand Prix has put the smile back on the face of Ken Doherty for more reasons than one, writes Ian O'Riordan. Back in Dublin yesterday, he admitted that his first ranking tournament win in almost three years couldn't have come at a better time.

"It was such a great weekend for Irish sport that I was just happy to be a part of it," he said. "And it's nice to come straight home afterwards, share it with the family, and enjoy it for a couple of days.

"It also means a lot to all my supporters so it was that bit special to bring the trophy down to Jason's (Ranelagh) for everyone to see." Tomorrow Doherty flies out to Bangkok for the Thailand Masters which starts on Saturday - happy with both his form and confidence. "I'm back to my best now, I really believe that, and certainly playing as well as I was a couple of years ago.

"I ended up with about five centuries during the week and I'm really looking forward now to the rest of the season. Something like this is fantastic for the confidence obviously but it also puts a bit of fear into the other players and lets them know that I'm still around."

There was the recent ghost of the Benson and Hedges Masters to get out of his system, where his loss included a missed black at the last stage of a 147 break. "It's good to leave that right behind me," he added. "This is a great boost for a number of reasons and I want to get on with it now with another win."

Cricket: Desmond "Decker" Curry, one of the country's most prolific runscorers both at club and representative levels, has been recalled to the Ireland squad for the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Emerging Nations Tournament in Zimbabwe from April 6th to 13th, writes Karl Johnston.

Curry has not been involved with the national squad since 1997, and early that summer he was the man of the match when Ireland memorably defeated Middlesex in the NatWest Trophy at Castle Avenue. Curry played 40 internationals between 1992 and 1997.

Also making a return to the international scene is Old Belvedere pace bowler Owen Butler whose representative career has not been helped by injury. Spinner Matt Dwyer of The Hills is another making a come-back, having changed his mind about retiring from representative cricket.

In the competition Ireland will play Scotland, Holland, Kenya, Denmark and Zimbabwe A. The squad will be accompanied by the new national coach, the former New Zealand Test player and captain, Ken Rutherford.

Ireland Squad: A Dunlop (YMCA) (capt), A Rutherford (Woodvale) (vc), B Archer (The Hills), J Bushe (Waringstown), O Butler (Old Belvedere), G Cooke (Brigade), D Curry (Limavady), J Davy (Pembroke), P Davy (Pembroke), M Dwyer (The Hills), D Heasley (Lisburn), E Joyce (Merrion), K McCallan (Cliftonville), J Molins (Railway Union).

Basketball: Denny Notre Dame player-coach Anthony Jenkins was yesterday named as the Philips Manager of the Month for January, writes Ian O'Riordan.

Most significant was his crucial role in helping Notre Dame win a fourth successive Sprite Cup final over Dublin rivals St Vincent's last month, but Jenkins has also been prominent in keeping Notre Dame in the runner-up spot of the ESB Superleague this season.

This is Jenkins's second monthly award with the previous honour coming for similar endeavours with Notre Dame back in 1998. Jenkins, who hails from North Carolina, has been in Ireland for the last 13 years as both a professional player and coach. He also directed the Notre Dame under-19 side to the junior Sprite Cup title last month.

Squash: Derek Ryan's run to the semi-finals of last month's Tournament of Champions in New York has lifted him seven places to 15 in the latest world rankings, issued yesterday by the Professional Squash Association. The Dubliner's quest to regain his place in the top 10, lost after a string of injuries and a run of poor form, continues at the Antwerp Open today where he meets world number six Anthony Hill in the first round.