Sports Digest/Men's Hockey: Bandon can take great heart from their performance on Saturday in confining Instonians, the holders, to a 1-0 win in the first Irish Senior Cup semi-final to be staged in west Cork, writes Dermot Ashmore.
It seemed Instonians would have a serene passage to the final when Chris Kirk deflected home a cross in the 12th minute. But the Bandon defence settled down defiantly, with sweeper Edgar Rice and centre back Nigel Martin being especially effective.
Goalkeeper Ian Hosford also became a prominent figure in the resistance, coping with a flurry of short corners.
Instonians will face a daunting challenge from Lisnagarvey in the all-Ulster decider at Belfield on April 3rd. The cup aristocrats survived a host of missed chances by Annadale at Lough Moss where, after a 2-2 deadlock, Lisnagarvey won the shoot-out, 4-3.
BASKETBALL: Killester returned to top form on Saturday night as both the men's and woman's teams qualified for next week's Superleague finals in Cork, writes Gavin Cummiskey.
Neptune came to Dublin expecting to cause an upset, but by half-time they trailed 53-35, with Jerome Westbrooks' side eventually running out 51-point victors. Laurence Young topped the charts with 28 points, but it was the five three-pointers from John Behan that really impressed.
Killester travel to Cork to face favourites the Tralee Tigers on Saturday night at 7.30. The earlier semi-final (2pm) sees northern conference champions St Vincent's play the hosts, UCC Demons, who edged out UCD in the quarter-finals 88-81. What's gone before will make no difference here as home advantage and an in-form Shane Coughlan are expected to just tip the scales, duly setting up a Cork versus Kerry final next Sunday.
As expected, Killester and UL Aughinish will renew rivalries in the woman's final as both came through the weekend unscathed. Michelle Aspell only shot 18 points but this was more than compensated for by the shooting of Jamaica's Syreeta Bromfield and young Rachel Clancy as UL beat Mercy Coolock 82-71 on Saturday.
Glanmire eventually bowed out of all competition but not before making Killester work hard. However, the late arrival of Sarit Arbel as a replacement for Mo Akiode disrupted preparations. Still, the Israeli international contributed 21 points.
That achievement was out done by American point guard Ashley Luke, who shot 34-points to set up a repeat of January's national cup final.
ATHLETICS: To the lowest possible fanfare Geraldine Hendricken yesterday made her first competitive outing after her two-year ban for a doping offence, which expired earlier this month, writes Ian O'Riordan. Hendricken finished second in the Four County cross-country league in Tinryland in her native Carlow, the first step in what she believes will mark a return to international competition.
Though clearly lacking race fitness, Hendricken finished 20 metres behind her St Laurence O'Toole clubmate Ailish Conry. A doping test on Hendricken back in February of 2003 revealed traces of the banned steroid nandrolone, and although she claimed the result was caused by contaminated food supplements, the minimum two-year ban was enforced.
Hendricken, who turns 35 next month, ran the 14th fastest time in the world over 1,500 metres the previous summer, but it remains to be seen if she can regain those heights over the coming season.
EQUESTRIAN SPORT: Ireland's show jumpers swept to an impressive victory in the first Samsung Nations Cup of the 2005 season, despite having to rely on two catch rides for the fixture at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club grounds in Wellington, Florida, writes Grania Willis.
Kevin Babington's Olympic ride Carling King was sidelined with a stone bruise, so the American-based Tipperary jockey borrowed the Dutch-bred It's Morado to produce a sensational double clear that clinched victory for Ireland. Conor Swail was also teamed with an unknown quantity, Lavaro, and delivered a second-round zero after a five-faulter first time round.
Darragh Kerins was sent in as pathfinder for the Irish, returning four each time out with Galaad du Murier, while newcomers to the Irish team Jennifer Crooks and SF Cassandra faulted just once in the first round, but didn't return for the second.
BOXING: Many significant pointers emerged as to where this season's titles are likely to go during the second session of the National Senior Championship semi-finals at the National Stadium on Saturday, writes Pat Roche.
A trio of reigning champions in lightweight Stephen Ormond (St Matthew's), lightheavy Ken Egan (Neilstown) and heavy Alan Reynolds (Ballina) must be strongly fancied to retain their titles when the finals go into the same ring on Friday next.
