Halligan gets Wexford job

Wexford have moved swiftly to appoint a successor to JJ Barrett, who was suspended for two years by the Games Administration Committee on Thursday night. Ger Halligan, who was a selector during Barrett's time in charge, takes over. The Sarsfields club man will be joined in the backroom team by former inter-county colleagues Mick Caulfield and Michael Carty.

Barrett resigned as senior football team manager last Monday following an assault on referee Michael Curley.

Halligan's first competitive game in charge will be against Longford in the Leinster championship on May 9th.

CYCLING: Aidan Duff, riding with Dan Morrissey's team, won the opening stage of Ras Mumhan yesterday from Nenagh to Adare and wears the first leader's jersey heading for Kenmare today.

The race got off to an unexpected start when the 62 riders were stopped and lectured after three miles for riding on the wrong side of the road.

A group of 15 broke away at 37 miles, with six of the Morrissey team included, but with eight miles left Duff went clear with Leinster team-mates Philip Cassidy and Stephen O'Sullivan. With the Leinster pair doing the driving at the front, they pulled away and at the finish of the 60 miles had an advantage of 50 seconds over a group of 11, with another of the Leinster men, Colm Bracken, best in the sprint for fourth place. The main pack arrived two minutes and three seconds in arrears, led by last year's winner Brian Kenneally.

Tommy Evans was clearly fastest in the Tour of the North prologue time trial at Ballyclare last evening. He clocked nine minutes and 26 seconds for the 4.6 miles to lead by 15 seconds from Stephen Gallagher.

BOAT RACE: The man charged with keeping order in today's University Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge has issued a warning to both crews, telling them: Keep it clean - or else. Umpire Mark Evans has promised there will no repeat of last year's drama which saw both coxes steer a dangerous line, oars clashing and the race - the fastest in history - nearly ending in disaster.

"I've spoken to the coxes and strokes and warned them what I expect and what I won't tolerate," said Evans. "I've briefed the crews over the correct start procedures and have been over the course with both coxes."