BOXING/DIGEST: Super-heavyweight Cathal McMonagle staged a sensational comeback at the National Stadium last night to join featherweight Carl Frampton, welterweight Roy Sheahan, middleweight Darren Sutherland and Irish team captain Ken Egan in today's EU Championships finals.
The big Ulsterman McMonagle had looked dead and buried against the Romanian Cristiian Ciocan but was roared on by an ecstatic crowd to a thrilling 32-25 win in one of greatest comebacks in the history of Irish boxing.
Frampton, from the Midlands White City club, Belfast, scored an impressive four-round win over the Pole Michal Chudecki.
Chudecki was 5-4 up at the end of the first round, but Frampton came storming back to take the next three rounds and claim an impressive 19-10 victory.
Egan, from the Neilstown club, advanced without lifting a glove after the Croat Mario Sivolja withdrew yesterday morning because of a facial injury.
Sheahan (23) booked his ticket with a performance oozing class and patience against the 2004 European senior champion Dmitar Stilianov from Bulgaria and will meet Xavier Noel from France in the 69kg decider.
Middleweight Sutherland advanced to the finals at the expense of Italy's Ivano Del Monte. Sutherland will meet James Degale in the 75kg final after the Englishman chalked up a 24-6 win over the Frenchman Jean Michael Raymond last night.
TENNIS:Today's singles final in the International Federation's Futures series at Brookfield will be contested between Britain's Alexander Slabinsky and Colin Ebelthithe of Australia, writes Pat Roche.
The latter beat Julian Maes of France 3-6 7-5 7-6 and in the other semi-final Slabinsky accounted for the tournament shocker Alexander Sadesky of Switzerland 6-4, 6-2.
Slabinsky leapt into the favourite's position because of his straight-sets win over the Swiss.
Men's Singles semi-finals: C Ebelthithe (Aust) bt J Maes (France), 3-6, 7-5, 7-6; A Slabinsky (Brit) bt A Sadesky (Switzerland) 6-4, 6-2. Men's Doubles semi-finals: B King and C O'Brien (Ire) bt E Heavey and T Lennon (Ire) 6-4 6-4. P Duclos (Canada) and R Durek (Aust) bt R Ghedin (Italy) and J Cluskey (Ire) 7-6, 6-3. Doubles final: Duclos and Durek bt King and O'Brien 7-5, 7-6.
SHOW JUMPING:Captain Shane Carey was pipped at the post by less than a quarter of a second in yesterday's feature speed class at the Norwegian Nations Cup fixture in Drammen, writes Grania Willis.
The Irish Army rider, who leads off for Team Ireland in this afternoon's Cup, stopped the clock on 53.33 seconds with Cashla Bay, but it wasn't quite quick enough to pin back British winner James Davenport.
Carey, and his Army colleague Commandant Gerry Flynn, will be joining forces with civilians Paul O'Shea and Conor Swail for this afternoon's team decider, when Robert Splaine's men will be aiming to pick up maximum points.
With 10 other teams battling for victory, a win could earn Ireland 12 valuable points to add to the 42 already garnered in the first four outings of the season.
Despite a disappointing sixth-place finish in Poland last weekend, Team Ireland has a seven-point lead over closest rivals Denmark, with Italy just half a point further off the pace in third, a long way clear of the rest of the field.
Jessica Kurten was also in the money yesterday.
The world number five brought out Jipey Dark to take third in the jump-off class at the German fixture in Norten-Hardenberg, where Denis Lynch had claimed third in Thursday night's young horse class.
TENNIS: Justine Henin's bid to complete the full set of grand slam titles will receive a major boost if she can beat her Wimbledon conqueror Amelie Mauresmo in today's International Women's Open final at Eastbourne.
Aside from a brief blip at the start of the second set, Henin blew France's Marion Bartoli away 6-1 6-4 in their semi-final yesterday. Mauresmo also sailed through after opponent Nadia Petrova retired with a pulled pectoral muscle after losing the first set 6-4. The pair are expected to attract near-record crowds to Eastbourne today for their Wimbledon final rematch.
Croatian Ivo Karlovic will face Arnaud Clement in today's Nottingham Open final.
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