Sports digest

Today's other stories in brief

Elliott leads from start to finish

MOTOR SPORT:Leading from start to finish, Cavan driver Patrick Elliott took his S12B Subaru to an important victory in the Adare-based Circuit of Munster Rally, the fifth round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship. Elliott enjoyed a solid advantage throughout the eight-stage event where Subaru pair Niall Maguire and Kevin Barrett battled for second place.

Maguire made a poor start but the Dunlop championship leader, after surviving an off-road excursion on stage five, found a strong pace towards the finish to edge out Barrett by just five seconds.

The event marked the mid-point of the Dunlop series with Maguire's overall lead cut to two points by Elliott. Eamonn Daly (Mitsubishi) won Group N to consolidate his lead in the showroom category. Limerick's Ed Synan (Escort) was the top driver in the modified category where Ed O'Callaghan led until his Escort suffered gearbox trouble.

UCD take senior eights at Blessington 

ROWING:Metropolitian Regatta, run on calm water in sparkling sunshine, gave domestic rowing the shot in the arm it needed at Blessington on Saturday, writes Liam Gorman. There was a remarkable distribution of titles across the big entry. UCD took the men's senior eights, but Trinity were notable absentees, concentrating on small boats, where they had some success.

Commercial, who were well down the field in the senior eight, won the senior four with a young crew, while NUIG's top two scullers, Dave Mannion and Liam Molloy, took the first two places in this discipline.

Muckross won the women's senior eight from UCD, while Caroline Ryan was the top sculler home.

The junior 18 single scull was emphatically won by Peter Chambers. There is big interest in whether the Coleraine man will go on to college in Britain, which could put him on track to join his brother Richard in the British system. But the 18-year-old, who has put a big commitment into representing Ireland at junior level, says he has not decided yet on college options. "I might stay in this country," he said.

Curran wins World Cup qualifier

EQUESTRIAN SPORT:A weekend of top-class eventing action at Tattersalls was topped by victory for Ireland's Captain Geoff Curran and Kilkishen in the Horse Sport Ireland/FEI World Cup qualifier, writes Margie McLoone.

Relatively few of the 39 starters had problems on the three-star cross-country course on Saturday but yesterday's show jumping track had a major impact on the result. Ireland's Jim Newsam recorded the only clear round with Laras Song but was too far down the order to affect the top placings.

Britain's William Fox-Pitt and Parkmore Ed lowered two poles but moved up to third from sixth when fellow travellers Julie Tew (Sir Roselier) and Pippa Funnell (Ensign) both picked up 14 penalties on the final phase.

Curran and Kilkishen gave the arena party less trouble with just the one fence down which assured them of third spot and they moved up when next in, Australia's Clayton Fredericks and Ben Along Time, knocked four fences and picked up three time penalties to slip to eighth.

The pressure was now on the last to go, New Zealander Andrew Nicholson and Lord Killinghurst who had two fencs in hand. However, the 17-year-old Sulaafah gelding took out three fences, including the last, to finish .4 of a penalty behind Kilkishen.

Loyal Honcho proves top dog 

GREYHOUND RACING: Loyal Honcho romped to victory in the English Greyhound Derby at Wimbledon on Saturday night.

The 5 to 2 joint favourite - runner-up last year and the oldest dog in the race - led from the traps to win comfortably ahead of fellow Irish entrant Tyrur Kieran and Blonde Dino.

Trainer Séamus Graham said: "Thank you to my family for giving me time to do it, I am delighted."

Contador takes Giro d'Italia

CYCLING:Spain's Alberto Contador of the Astana team won the Giro d'Italia yesterday.

The 2007 Tour de France winner finished the three-week race one minute and 57 seconds ahead of Italy's Riccardo Ricco. Marzio Bruseghin, also of Italy, was third at 2:54.

Italy's Marco Pinotti won the final 28.5km individual time trial stage to Milan in a time of 32 minutes, 45 seconds.

McMahon and Brown take major awards

HOCKEY: Former Irish internationals Claire McMahon and Paddy Brown took the player of the year honours at the ESB Irish Hockey Awards in Dublin on Saturday night, with Pembroke Wanderers named club of the year for the second consecutive season, writes Mary Hannigan.

McMahon, who retired from international hockey in 2003 after winning over 100 caps, had another fine season for Irish Cup winners Pegasus, while Brown was honoured a month after ending his international career, having won 151 caps, 92 as captain.

Stephanie Quinn gave Ulster three of the four player awards when she was named under-18 player of the year, with Leinster's Stuart Loughrey taking the boy's award. Coach of the year was Richie Malone whose under-16 Connacht side won the interprovincials for the first time in the province's history.