Sports Digest/SHOW JUMPING: Dermott Lennon got his World Cup campaign off to a good start when claiming fourth place at the series opener in Helsinki yesterday.
The world champion was one of 18 first round clears and, when only two of the 11 before him in the jump-off repeated the feat, Lennon opted for caution against the clock, writes Grania Willis.
The 11-year-old stallion Condios obliged by returning a second zero for a temporary hold on third, but last-in Heinrich Hermann Engemann snatched the honours and the €25,000 winner's purse for Germany, relegating early leader Piet Raymakers in the process. Lennon, who netted €8,000 for his efforts in the World Cup class, had ridden his Dublin Speed Derby winner I Caesar into fourth in the earlier speed class at the Finnish venue.
The Irish were also to the fore at the Greek fixture in Athens, with Cameron Hanley notching up yet another speed class win with the mare Night Dancer on Saturday. The Mayo rider was unlucky not to make it a double yesterday morning, but a fence down wiped out Hanley's advantage on the clock and he slid to ninth.
Ryan Crumley was best of the Irish in the Grand Prix at the Markopoulo Olympic equestrian centre. Obviously none the worse for his exertions in Friday's non-Super League Nations Cup when his two-round tally of one time fault led Ireland to second place, Baltimore came out and produced a four and a clear for fourth in yesterday's feature.
ROWING: Seán Jacob and Caroline Ryan topped the rankings at the Dublin Sculling ladder time trial, which drew a record 123 competitors to Islandbridge on Saturday, reports Liam Gorman.
Commercial's Jacob, one of Ireland's heavyweight four in the season just finished, clocked six minutes 39.5 seconds. Junior international Paul O'Brien, who does not turn 18 until December, was the second fastest man, clocking six minutes 52 seconds.
Albert Maher attended but did not compete because of illness.
Ryan's time of seven minutes 36.5 seconds not only made her the fastest woman, it was also well within a minute of the fastest time overall - a feat the Garda competitor also achieved when she won last year.
Rob Michael of Commercial was the sixth fastest man.
CYCLING: The Ireland team finished a solid 10th out of 18 squads on yesterday's opening stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour in Australia. The octet - Paul Healion, David McCann, Andrew Roche, Padraig Marrey, Conor Murphy, Tommy Evans, Andrew McQuaid and Eugene Moriarty - finished 13 seconds behind the stage winner, the Savings and Loans squad, in the four-kilometre team time trial in Williamstown. Ag2R Prévoyance and HLP/Superstore were second and third. The race continues today with a 150.9 kilometre stage starting and finishing in Bendigo.
In Europe, Ag2R team-mates Philip Deignan and Mark Scanlon were in action in Italy and France respectively. Deignan finished a fine 27th out of 154 starters in the hilly, 1.HC-ranked Giro dell'Emilia on Saturday, while Scanlon was unlucky to crash close to the finish of the ProTour Paris-Tours classic yesterday. The race was won by German veteran sprinter Erik Zabel (T-Mobile).
CRICKET: England all rounder Andrew Flintoff should be fit to play for the World XI in their test match against Australia starting on Friday despite bruising his wrist in yesterday's 156-run defeat in the final one-day match.
Australia made 293 for five before they bowled the World XI out for a paltry 137 to complete a 3-0 series sweep in the final one-day match at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium.
