Sports Digest/Hockey: A high-tempo workout and a little research and development for new Irish coach Dave Passmore, but the end result must have warmed his chilled bones at Grange Road last night as Ireland hit three goals in the first half against Belgium and another one in the second for a 4-1 win, writes Johnny Watterson.
Aer Lingus Hockey Club too will be pleased with David Bane earning his first cap.
That first 35 minutes saw Belgium open brightly, but then succumb to a more penetrative Irish outfit.
Goalkeeper Wesley Bateman was asked to save twice from Belgium's first short corner, but the visitors' threat subsided.
Belgium looked nothing like the team ranked 14th in the world against an Irish side that at last glance was 23rd.
Tim Cockram's delivery to David Hobbs allowed the Corkman demonstrate his close control and turn the ball in for 1-0 after 16 minutes.
From there on Ireland were by far the more creative force with Justin Sherriff's acutely angled reverse drill making it 2-0 for Ireland on 30 minutes.
His Belgium-based colleague Stephen Butler added another for a satisfying 3-0 lead at the break, but it could have been more.
Belgium turned around a sharper team; Charles van Deweghe nicking in at the back post for 3-1, but the irrepressible man of the match Sherriff replied once more, this time picking up the ball just inside his own half, dribbling 40 yards and beautifully finishing, again with a reverse drill for 4-1.
IRELAND: W Bateman, J Black (capt), S Nicholson, R Gormley, B Waring, M Black, S Butler, G Shaw, T Cockram, M Irwin, M Raphael. Rolling substitutions: D Hobbs , J Sherriff, I Lewers, D Bane, C Henderson.
Umpires: G Quail (Ireland) T Dumon (Belgium)
MOTOR SPORT: It looks increasingly unlikely that Formula One team Minardi will get to race their home event in Australia this weekend unless they can dramatically drum up last-minute support from Ferrari.
Paul Stoddart's cash-strapped outfit wanted to race their 2004 car in the first three grands prix of 2005, including this weekend's opener in Melbourne, before introducing their new challenger at San Marino in April.
The car does not conform to new technical regulations brought in for this season, but Minardi say they did not have time to build an interim machine, so Stoddart has asked to begin the campaign in last year's car.
The request has the support of eight of the other nine Formula One team bosses with only Ferrari refusing to lend their backing.
TENNIS: Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams both struggled before advancing to the quarter-finals of the Dubai Open.
Davenport was almost forced into a third set by China's Jie Zheng before claiming the last four games and a 6-2, 7-5 victory, while Williams recovered from a wretched start to defeat Russia's Elena Bovina 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Williams, who received a warning for racket abuse when 0-3 down in the first, only got going in the second set, breaking twice to level the match before she raced to a 4-0 lead in the decider.
Even then, she struggled to close out the match, committing some uncharacteristic errors.
