SPORTS DIGEST

Today's other stories in brief

Lynch ends difficult year with third place in Olympia

EQUESTRIAN: Denis Lynch saw out a traumatic year when he finished third in last night's Grand Prix at Olympia on Flaminia Straumann's Nabab's Son, reports Margie McLoone.

Last to go in the four-horse jump-off, the 10-year-old gelding lowered one fence to slot in behind the double clears recorded by American team gold medallist Laura Kraut and the grey mare Miss Independent and Britain's Ben Maher on Robin Hood W.

Cian O'Connor's hopes of landing the leading rider title at the five-star show were dashed when Rancorrado lowered the second-last fence in round one. O'Connor had gone into the final event in pole position following an impressive win in the afternoon's speed class on Stephen O'Connor and Castlemartin Stud's Complete and a second place finish in the later speed competition on Dermot O'Rourke's mare Baloufina.

Lynch finished equal third in the early afternoon's six-bar event on Upsilon d'Ocquier, Britain's Ellen Whitaker (Ladina B) and French man Philippe Rozier (Ideal de Prissey) sharing the top spot in the fourth jump-off round.

The Norwegian show jumping team was stripped of the bronze medal won at this year's Olympics when Tony Andre Hansen was yesterday suspended by the FEI tribunal for 135 days.

Hansen, who was fined €1,970, was withdrawn from the final individual medal round in Hong Kong when his horse Camiro tested positive to the prohibited substance capsaicin. As the rider was immediately suspended, his ban will run until January 2nd.

The bronze now goes to Switzerland. Three other horses also tested positive to capsaicin at the Games including the Denis Lynch-ridden Lantinus.

Lesson for Ireland's under-20s

RUGBY:The Ireland under-20s got a rude awakening when they were slammed five tries to one (39-7) by a vastly superior Leinster Development XV at Donnybrook yesterday.

The Leinster Academy players on the Development side were seen to good effect with backs and forwards clearly out to impress Academy coach Colin McEntee and elite player development manager Richie Murphy.

Ireland will have to show a distinct improvement in the Six Nations, starting at home to France on the first weekend in February, as they conceded tries to hooker Jason Harris-Wright, prop Ruaidhri Murphy, number eight Michael Noone, wings Niall Morris and Shane Monahan and fullback Felix Jones in what was another impressive example of Leinster's strength-in-depth.

LEINSTER DEVELOPMENT: F Jones; S Monahan, F McFadden, K Tonetti, N Morris; J Power, P O'Donohoe; R Murphy, J Harris-Wright, R Burke-Flynn, C McInerney, S Grannell, K McLaughlin (capt), P Ryan, M Noone. Replacements: E O'Malley for McFadden, C Aherne for Morris, D Moore for O'Donohoe, R Sweeney for Harris-Wright, J Dever for McLaughlin all ht; J Hagan for Murphy 70 mins.

IRELAND UNDER-20: J O'Brien, S Morris, S Gahan, I Madigan, M Keating; I McKinley, M Healy; J McGrath, T Sexton, C Higgins, J Sandford, M Flanagan, C Ruddock, E Cremin, P O'Mahony (capt). Replacements (all used): R Andrew, G Foley, A Burke, C Nolan, E Sheridan, O Day, S Mahony, J Moran, D McGregor, D Ryan.

Referee: D Keane, IRFU.

Dramatic victory for Murphy

SNOOKER:Shaun Murphy is eager to rubber-stamp his place among snooker's modern-day greats after becoming the 10th man in history to win both the UK Championship and World Championship.

But after landing the UK title in Telford, the Englishman admits he would "die happy" even if he never wins another tournament.

He and Hong Kong's Marco Fu kept an enthralled arena and television audience on the edge of their seats until after midnight, before Murphy clinched a 10-9 triumph.

For Murphy, who sensationally won the world title as a rank outsider in 2005, Sunday's triumph came as a huge relief after his miserable start to the season, having lost opening matches in his first four tournaments.