Sports Digest

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

Munster beat Leinster at Sligo

GOLF:Munster beat Leinster while Connacht and Ulster halved to leave things delicately poised after the opening day of the Senior Interprovincial Championship at Co Sligo GC.

Connacht had led after the morning foursomes thanks to a birdie on the 18th in the final match from Joe Lyons, who partnered Michael Durcan to a one-hole win over Nicky Grant and Wayne Telford. Beforehand, Ulster had scored an early win through Reeve Whitson and Aaron Kearney, who beat Steffan O’Hara and Sean Cannon by 7/6. But Connacht had squared the match with a win from Michael Durcan and Joe Lyons over Connor Doran and Harry Diamond by 2/1. In the Boys Interprovincials, Leinster produced a spectacular rally on the back nine in the afternoon singles to beat Connacht while Munster edged a very close encounter with Ulster.

Three Irish progress at Fitzwilliam

TENNIS: Barry King, James Cluskey and Sam Barry reached the second round of the Green Property Men's Irish Open $15,000 ITF Futures event at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club yesterday.

Limerick-man Barry defeated Stefan Borg of Sweden 6-2 6-4, while Cluskey recovered from being a set down to see off Frenchman Simon Cauvard 3-6 7-6(4) 7-6(0). Cauvard is ranked 605 in the world.

In the lunchtime match on the show court, Davis Cup player King beat Ruan Roelofse of South Africa, the number six seed, in three sets, 6-2 4-6 6-3.

Two other Irish players were in action. Castlebar’s Daniel Glancy lost in straight sets to his doubles partner Miloslav Mercir of Slovakia, 6-3 6-3, and the number one seed Charles-Antoine Brezac of France beat John Morrissey 6-0 6-1.

Maguires lead quest for Euro title

GOLF:The Maguire twins spearhead a powerful Irish challenge for the European Ladies Amateur individual title over the Noordwijse course in the Netherlands, starting today.

Three members of the Britain and Ireland Vagliano Trophy side – Leona Maguire, Danielle McVeigh and Stephanie Meadow – are in the line-up alongside Leona’s sister Lisa, Gillian O’Leary and Charlene Reid.

Leona Maguire was fifth in the Czech Republic last year and Lisa finished joint 21st.

The winner of the 72-hole contest will gain exemption to the British Women’s Open.

Cork’s O’Leary has shown good form this season and cannot be discounted, and after Ireland made the top flight in the European Team championship spirits are high.

But with 144 players in the field, winning is a tall order.

Canada first up in Intercontinental

CRICKET: After a false start, Ireland will be looking to get their Intercontinental Cup campaign under way at Leinster Cricket Club in Rathmines in September when they host Canada, writes Emmet Riordan.

The International Cricket Council announced yesterday the four-day game will be held at the Dublin ground from September 13th-16th, while the two one-day games between the sides will take place at Clontarf on September 19th and 20th.

Ireland’s opening fixture against Namibia, due to held in Belfast at the end of last month, was postponed after the African side encountered problems obtaining visas. They subsequently travelled for the two one-day games, which Ireland won.

No new date has been arranged for the four-day game, although the possibility of playing it in early March in the build-up to the World Twenty20 qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates is being looked at.

Revington names Five Nations Squad

HOCKEY: Paul Revington has announced an 18-man squad for the Five Nations tournament in Paris, which starts next Tuesday.

The tournament is part of Ireland’s intense build-up to the Europeans next month.

The quality opposition includes world number one side Australia, as well as Korea (sixth), Argentina (11th) and the home side France (17th).

Cookstown’s Ian Sloan is included in the senior squad after recently competing in the Under-18 EuroYouth Nations Championship in the Netherlands.

IRISH SQUAD:D Ames (Beeston); C Cargo (Reading); P Caruth (Annadale); T Cockram (Lisnagarvey); M Darling (Den Bosch); D Fitzgerald (Monkstown); P Gleghorne (Instonians); R Gormley (Club de Campo); C Harte (SCHC); D Harte (SCHC); J Jackson (Mossley); J Jermyn (Cork C of I); E Magee (Dragons); G McCabe (Santander); B McCandless (Banbridge); A McConnell (Hurley); Ic Sloan (Cookstown); M Watt (Santander).

Ireland’s match schedule

Tuesday, July 26th: v Korea, 3.30pm.

Wed, July 27th: v Australia, 4pm.

Fri, July 29th: v Argentina, 4pm.

Sat, July 30th: v France, 5.30pm.

Higgins admits he needs to 'knuckle down' after defeat

SNOOKER: World champion John Higgins admits he "needs to knuckle down" after his shock first-round elimination from the Australian Goldfields Open in Bendigo yesterday.

Having taken a 4-1 lead, the Scot lost 5-4 to Matthew Selt, a player who has never y been beyond the last 32 of a ranking tournament.

Higgins was also one half of the Scottish team who suffered a World Cup quarter-final loss to Northern Ireland, and after yesterday’s setback he hinted at a lack of focus since his Crucible success in May.

“I’m disappointed but maybe it’s because I haven’t put in the hours practising since winning the World Championship,” he said.

Selt now faces Stephen Hendry in the last 16.

Mark Allen, beaten along with Northern Ireland team-mate Gerard Greene by China in Sunday’s World Cup final, saw off Wales’ Ryan Day 5-3 in a high-quality encounter.

The Antrim left-hander edged a tense opening frame and made 60 to go 2-0 up, but Day responded with 96 and 53 to level at the mid-session interval.

Allen produced a run of 89 to win the first frame back but Day levelled in scrappy fashion and took a 47-point lead in frame seven. Allen battled back to win that one, though, and took the match with a break of 72.

Ali Carter was another player to suffer an upset, losing 5-3 to Marcus Campbell .

Quadruple scull first up in Amsterdam

ROWING:The first of Ireland's four crews for the World Under-23 Championships in Amsterdam is set to go into action today, reports Liam Gorman.

The lightweight quadruple scull of Shane O’Driscoll, Niall Kenny, Peter Hanily and Justin Ryan will hope to emulate the run of last year’s crew, which took home a silver medal.

Hanily and O’Driscoll replace Mark O’Donovan and Michael Maher, who are now over age for the event.

Ireland’s best medal hope may be Lisa Dilleen in the women’s single scull.

Last year, aged just 19 and after concentrating on her Leaving Certificate, she finished ninth overall.

The lightweight women’s double of Sarah Dolan and Claire Lambe, which finished 17th at the World Cup regatta in Lucerne, and Jonathan Mitchell in a lightweight single scull, complete the Ireland team.