Sports digest

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Brammeier takes his thord in a row

CYCLING:Matt Brammeier yesterday scooped his third successive Irish road race championship, beating Nicolas Roche (Ag2r La Mondiale), Philip Lavery (Node4 Girodana) and Martyn Irvine (RTS Racing) in the finale of the nine-lap, 167.4km event.

The quartet were part of an early break in the race and pushed on from other riders 81km in. Irvine attacked 60km later on the penultimate lap and opened a 22-second lead; the other three caught and dropped him on the final climb and fought it out from there.

Brammeier made his move just over 2km from the finish and the Omega Pharma Quick Step rider hit the line first. His gold medal followed on from similar success in 2010 and 2011.

“I really wanted to win today, more than any other year,” he told ‘The Irish Times’ after the finish. He said he wanted to prove a point, which was likely a reference to him being passed over for Olympic selection by Cycling Ireland.

SHANE STOKES

Dutch vessel takes early lead in round Ireland race from Wicklow

SAILING:Not even the power of Ireland's Volvo 70 Green Dragon could match the light air gybing technique of frontrunner Tonerre de Breskens when it stole a march along the shore in the opening stages of the Round Ireland race from Wicklow yesterday afternoon.

An international fleet of 38 yachts left a congested Wicklow start line and headed south under spinnaker at noon yesterday but pre-start jostling for position caused at least one minor collision before the fleet left Wicklow.

Last night, the sole Dutch entry skippered by Piet Vroon continued to defend its Round Ireland title with vigour but as the fleet closed on Tuskar rock the British Swan 56 Noonmark (Sir Geoffrey Mulchay) and French yacht Inis Mor (Laurent Gouy) were vying for the lead from the Dutchman’s Ker 46.

Beecher wins Hickstead Derby

EQUESTRIAN:Paul Beecher yesterday became the first Irish winner of the Hickstead Derby since 2003 when he went clear in a two-horse jump off with his father Tim's Spring Elegance gelding Loughnatousa WB.

The Waterford rider, who was first in to the famed Sussex arena, and Britain’s Will Funnell recorded the only clears in the first round over the Derby course. The 29-year-old then secured the €42,000 first prize when the Funnell-ridden Irish-bred Dorada lowered the gate in the jump-off and was retired. On Saturday, Trevor Breen won the Speed Derby with Una Lynam’s Beer Hunter.

At Rotterdam, Denis Lynch was the only Irish rider to qualify for the jump-off in the Grand Prixon Thomas Straumanns gelding Lantinus. He finished fifth.

Frustration at Stormont as rain has the final say

CRICKET:A disappointed crowd of 5,000 saw just 65 deliveries in the RSA Challenge clash between Ireland and Australia at Stormont on Saturday before the plug was pulled by the umpires.

In that time they were treated to a brilliant opening spell by Brett Lee that accounted for William Porterfield and Ed Joyce in the first three deliveries of the match before the rain returned and play was stopped with the score on 36 for three.

The game was finally abandoned at 4pm, but having gone past the 10 over mark, supporters were not entitled to a refund.

Cricket Ireland have offered a ticket to one of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Afghanistan, in Dublin, and Bangladesh’s T20 series back at Stormont.

Former NI captain Alan McDonald dies at 48

SOCCER:Former Northern Ireland captain Alan McDonald has died at the age of 48.

The QPR stalwart won 52 caps for his country and was a member of Northern Ireland’s World Cup side in 1986.

McDonald went on to manage Glentoran, winning the Irish League title in 2009, and also coached his country’s under-21 side.

An Irish Football Association spokesman said: “We are deeply shocked at the death of Alan. To die at such a young age is terrible.”

Former Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy, a close friend and former team-mate of McDonald’s, said: “I’m shell-shocked. Words can’t even enter my head at the moment. Forty-eight is so young. Alan was always larger than life – during his career and after.

“I’ve just spoken to Norman Whiteside and he is devastated.”

The Belfast-born footballer was said to have died suddenly while playing golf.

Jezierski finishes fifth in European Championships

ROWING:Ireland's canoe sprint hopeful for the Olympic Games, Andrzej Jezierski, continued his upward trajectory championships with a fifth-place finish in the A Final of the European Championships in Zagreb yesterday.

Last month Jezierski placed 14th at the World Cup in Poznan immediately after qualifying for London in the C1 200 class. He went on to take seventh in the World Cup in Duisburg.

In canoe slalom, Eoin Rheinisch suffered suspected food poisoning the night before the semi-final at the World Cup in La Seu d’Urgell in Spain, and finished 35th. Ciarán Heurteau finished 20th, but only 10 competitors progress at this stage.

In the World Cup for marathon canoeing in Denmark, Ireland’s Neil Fleming took a silver medal on Saturday.

CORK REGATTA: The Leander Trophy was presented to Gráinne Mhaol/ NUIG, the winners of the Division One eights title at the Cork Regatta at the National Rowing Centre. Gráinne Mhaol also won the Division One men's four.

Trinity’s under-23 crew won Division One in the women’s eight, and their novice men won the Division Two men’s eights and coxed fours.

Skibbereenwon the four and the quadruple. Helen Walshe from Blessington who won the Division One title in the single sculls, teamed up with Eimear Moran to add the Division One doubles title.