Brian Kenneally of the Cidona team in Carrick-on-Suir gained compensation for an unlucky mishap last year when he won the Coombs Connor memorial cycling race yesterday at Drogheda.

At the end of seven laps of a 10 miles circuit Kenneally was 28 seconds ahead of Tommy Evans with Ross Blayney best of the rest in third place. Last year Kenneally went into the last lap with what seemed a winning lead but he got a puncture and came in fourth 33 seconds behind Ciaran Power. Power, a stage winner in the Tour of Egypt on Thursday, did not take part yesterday as he only arrived back from Cairo on Saturday.

Near the end of the first 10 miles yesterday a group of 13 forged ahead and 10 of them stayed out in front for most of the way. With Kenneally and Evans at the head of affairs were Stephen O'Sullivan, Eddie O'Donoghue, Brendan Doherty, Philip Cassidy, Alastair Martin, John Nolan, Richie McCauley and Karl Donnelly.

After McCauley and O'Sullivan had been clear for a while the decisive split occurred as they went through Duleek for the second last time when Kenneally and Evans went on from O'Sullivan and O'Donoghue.

The remainder of the breakaways were overhauled and eventually O'Sullivan and O'Donoghue were also reeled in but Kenneally and Evans pressed on. Then with just two miles to go Evans had no answer to as powerful surge from Kenneally and the Piltown farmer went on to win. Evans held on to second place and Ross Blayney came through to take third.