A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Racing underway on Dublin Bay
SAILING: FOLLOWING an abatement in the train of gales crossing Ireland since the weekend, the 27-strong fleet in the Star European Championship was able to complete the first two races of their programme on Dublin Bay yesterday, writes David Branigan.
Sunday’s racing was abandoned due to gales and more stormy conditions are likely to affect the programme this morning.
Italian’s Diego Negri and Enrico Voltolini who were the 2006 European champions delivered a race win and a second place yesterday while Ireland’s Peter O’Leary and David Burrows were in third place last night after scoring third and sixth places.
Meanwhile, the stormy conditions are expected to give Mike Sanderson and the crew of Team Sanya, the Chinese entry
in the forthcoming Volvo Ocean Race a fast passage southwards today following a two-day visit to Dublin.
Five-star show from Kingsley
RUGBY: A FORMER Young Munster player, Ian Kingsley, kicked five penalties when helping University of Western Australia to a shock win in the Australian Premier Grade final.
It was the first success for 39 years for the club and four former Shannon players, Andrew Finn, Fionn McLoughlin, Trevor Downes and Cian OConnor were also members of the winning side who beat Nedlands 15-13. Juan Pretorious and scrumhalf Nathan Roberts had tries for Nedland who also had a penalty by Mike Denton.
Online database launched
EQUESTRIAN: Horse Sport Ireland’s new online database, CappallOir, was officially launched yesterday in Dublin by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD.
The database, which has been extensively trialled and will be of considerable assistance to breeders, competitors and potential purchasers, contains records of over 320,000 horses, with some having recorded pedigree dating back over a hundred years.
Replay agreed after talks
GAA: A row which threatened the completion of the Galway SFC has been resolved following a marathon all-night meeting between the two clubs involved.
Representatives from Mountbellew/Moylough and Micheal Breathnachs spent 23 hours in talks at the weekend with a mediator before deciding to replay their encounter. Mountbellew/Moylough, who were defeated by Micheal Breathnachs by 1-10 to 0-12 in an earlier round, lodged an objection claiming that one of the Connemara side’s players, sub Tommy Conneely, was not eligible to play.
Ireland looking for weather to play its part in opener
CRICKET: Ireland will be looking for a break with the weather over the next four days as they get their Intercontinental Cup campaign underway against Namibia at Stormont in Belfast (10.30), writes Emmet Riordan.
Two rain-affected draws against Kenya and Scotland in their last campaign scuppered Ireland’s attempts in holding on to the title they won for a third straight time against Namibia in 2008.
Originally scheduled for June, the game was delayed after the African side encountered visa problems. And with Ireland due to face Canada in Rathmines next week, some semblance of an Indian summer looks almost as important as performances on the park.
Kevin O’Brien leads a squad shorn of their main county-based players, while George Dockrell may yet be called up by Somerset for their County Championship clash against Yorkshire, which starts tomorrow.
Ireland coach Phil Simmons has called in Limavady all-rounder Stuart Thompson after Nigel Jones was ruled out with a finger injury, while Graeme McCarter and Middlesex wicket-keeper Stuart Poynter are in line to make their debuts.
IRELAND(Squad): K OBrien (Gloucestershire, capt), A Cusack (Clontarf), G Dockrell (Somerset), P Eaglestone (Strabane), G McCarter (Gloucestershire), J Mooney (North County), A Poynter (Clontarf), S Poynter (Clontarf, Middlesex, wkts), P Stirling (Middlesex), S Thompson (Limavady), A van der Merwe (YMCA), A White (Instonians), G Wilson (Surrey).
