O'Sullivan's position at the top secured

Sports Digest/Snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan achieved a career first in Dublin on Sunday night when he defeated Matthew Stevens 10-8 in the Fáilte Irish Masters final.

For the first time since joining the paid ranks 13 years ago, O'Sullivan has now won three ranking titles in the same season.

In doing so he joins Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, John Higgins and Mark Williams as the only players to achieve the feat. In fact, he has won five of the last eight ranking tournaments, taking his career tally to 18 - exactly half of Hendry's current total.

Victory in a gripping match that saw Stevens recover from 6-1 down to share the first 16 frames also guarantees O'Sullivan the world number one spot for another 12 months.

"It's great to have sewn it up with two events to go," said O'Sullivan after scooping the €57,000 first prize. "I suppose it's reward for getting all these results. It's important to have done it because not going to China (for the China Open at Beijing in two weeks) might now not make any difference. I have not 100 per cent made up my mind about China. I could even decide on the morning of the flight. At the moment, though, it looks as though I won't go."

O'Sullivan is such a contrary character that trying to predict his final decision is impossible. Despite playing his part in a memorable final - reminiscent of his 10-9 win over Scotsman Higgins in 2003 - O'Sullivan claimed he was "despondent throughout".

SWIMMING: Swim Ireland have failed to secure an assurance regarding the reopening date of the National Aquatic Centre and, as a consequence, a decision to switch the National Long Course Championships out of Dublin has been forced on the association, writes Pat Roche. The event will now be staged in Limerick at the end of April.

A decision to relocate the McCullough memorial event to Limerick University's 50-metre stretch had already been made, but it was hoped that the work to repair part of the NAC roof, storm damaged as far back as Christmas, would have been carried out by now.

Tennessee University-based Andrew Bree has so far made the biggest impact for an Irish swimmer at Abbottstown by winning silver at the European short course championships.

Doubts about Bree's interest in continuing in the sport were assuaged yesterday by Swim Ireland. It had come as a major surprise to most swimming enthusiasts for the talented Ards man not to be included for Irish Sports Council carding.

"He is still swimming, but he did not apply for carding," is the official word from SI headquarters. Two swimmers, Loughorough-based Julie Douglas and Dubliner Ken Turner - who trains at the University of Kentucky - are the only swimmers facilitated so far by the Sports Council.

ATHLETICS: Paula Radcliffe will intensify her preparations for the London Marathon by racing in the Crescent City Classic 10-km event at New Orleans on March 26th.

The American challenge will give the marathon world record holder an chance to test herself before she bids to regain her London title on April 17th.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL: At least nine current and former Carolina Panthers players have been linked to a federal steroids investigation into a South Carolina doctor, Columbia's the State newspaper has reported.

The newspaper did not name the players, but claimed some of the players - patients of Dr James Shortt - were part of the Panthers team that lost the 2004 Super Bowl.