North County warm favourites

Cricket: The exciting promise of another major trophy to add to their All Ireland Senior Cup triumph will be the spur for North County when they line out against CYM in their final and vital Whitney Moore and Keller Leinster Senior League game at The Nevitt today, writes Tommy Devlin.

Certainly, North County - after two excellent victories in midweek - will start warm favourities to clinch the top spot and a win today would mean they will just pip present leaders Merrion for the title and bring down the curtain on a great season.

Yet to write off CYM, who made certain of their 'A' status with an against-the-odds but deserved victory over Clontarf last weekend, might just prove a miscalculation.

However with morale at a high pitch and in their own back yard North County look to hold all the aces. And from their captain John Andrews will certainly come a clarion call for one final effort.

Opener Sean O'Connor's opponents have certainly felt the weight of his bat this season, while Andre Botha has been cool and bold in his stroke play. Furthermore, the cultured Paul Mooney and the adventurous Armstrong brothers Dara and Conor are all capable of building scores of considerable substance.

Bowling wise, they possess penetration and variation and worthy of mention are Joe Murphy and Paddy Martin, stalwarts for very many years with the club.

Pembroke are winners of section 'B' and gain promotion but who accompanies them is still undecided. Munster, who host Rush today, are the likely candidates for the runners-up position.

Athletics: American sprint king Michael Johnson (34 next Thursday) bowed out of top-flight athletics yesterday. Johnson - holder of the 200 and 400 metres world records and with a gold medal haul of 14 from world championships and Olympics - anchored the USA team to gold in the 4x400m at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane.

Golf: Darren Clarke's decision to kick-start his build-up to the Ryder Cup later this month by making a trip half-way round the globe to play in Japan looks set to reap some dividends. Clarke, whose three triumphs this season have included one win in Japan already, in the Crowns Tournament, was just two shots behind the leader, Shingo Katayma, at the halfway stage of the Suntory Open at Sabu near Tokyo.

Gaelic Games: Brian Cody will continue as Kilkenny hurling manager for the forseeable future. He took some time out to consider his position after the semi-final defeat by Galway but he and his two fellow selectors, Johnny Walsh and Ger Henderson, who served together for the past three years, have all decided to continue. The appointment should be rubber-stamped at Monday's meeting of the county board.

Cycling: Ciaran Power finished in the main bunch in the Tour de l'Avenir in France yesterday. The Irish rider was placed 32nd on the stage to OrgΦres-en-Beauce, 58 seconds behind Jean Patrick Nazon.