SPORTS DIGEST

Today's other stories in brief

UCC Demons stay focused

BASKETBALL: UCC Demons, who ended DART's reign as National Cup champions last weekend, piled on more agony for the Dubliners with an 84-77 win at the Mardyke Arena yesterday.

The Southern Conference runaway leaders looked in complete control at the break, leading 43-31 but DART hit back with a spirited response. Demons’ Irish trio of Shane Coughlan, Niall Murphy and Colin O’Reilly put in big performances, while John Behan top scored for DART with 16 points.

Neptune produced a fine display to defeat UCD/Marian 99-89 after overtime but HOOPS’ hopes of making the playoffs took a serious dent on Saturday night when they lost 96-101 to Abrakebabra Tigers.

In the Women’s Superleague, National Cup winners Team Montenotte Hotel Cork defeated Meteors 81-69. Bausch Lomb Wildcats scored a 67-52 success away to Leisureworld Churchfield IONA. Leaders DCU Mercy defeated Tolka Rovers 65-58 away while UL Aughinish pipped Killester 62-39.

Kelleher out for six weeks

RUGBY:Former New Zealand scrumhalf Byron Kelleher will be sidelined for six weeks because of a knee injury, according to a Toulouse statement yesterday.

“Byron had a scan which revealed he had sprained his knee but the ligaments were not ruptured. He will need about six weeks to recover,” said team manager Guy Noves..

Kelleher limped off the field 10 minutes before the end of a French championship game between Toulouse and Biarritz.

Disappointing start for O'Rourke

ATHLETICS:Derval O'Rourke endured a disappointing start to her indoor season in Moscow last night with a fourth-place finish in her heat of the 60 metres hurdles, writes Ian O'Riordan.

Competing against an all-Russian field, O’Rourke clocked 8.33 seconds, well down on the 7.84 she produced to claim a World Indoor title at the same venue three years ago.

It wasn’t enough to progress to the final and leaves O’Rourke with quite a bit of improvement to make if she’s to figure in the European Indoor Championships in Turin next month.

Paul Hession fared slightly better than his compatriot in the 60 metres flat, a distance well below his best, where he did at least progress to the final.

He finished sixth in 6.75 seconds – well outside his own national record time of 6.61.

Lynch takes second place in Nantes

EQUESTRIAN SPORT: Denis Lynch posted Ireland's best result at the three-star show in Nantes over the weekend when coming second in Friday night's jump-off class on Flaminia Straumann's Nabab's Son, writes Margie McLoone.

The 31-year-old Tipperary-born rider was just under a second off the winning time set by Germany’s Franke Sloothaak on Aquino.

Jessica Kurten slotted into sixth with Lady Georgina Forbes’s Castle Forbes Cadeau Z in the 18-horse jump-off.

A new sponsor was announced yesterday for show jumping’s top international team competition with the Meydan Group, which is currently building a new racecourse in Dubai, adding its name to this year’s FEI nations’ cup series.

The Meydan FEI Nations’ Cup will feature the top 10 teams in the world competing at eight of the leading venues throughout Europe with a final at the Fáilte Ireland Horse Show in August.

Powell eases back into action

ATHLETICS: Former world 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica opened his 2009 outdoor season by running 47.75 seconds to place second overall in a 400 metres competition on Saturday.

“Training has been going good and I am in good shape,” Powell told reporters after participating in the Queen’s/Grace Jackson Invitational.

The race was a tune-up for Powell and his first competition since anchoring Jamaica’s 4x100 relay team to a world record at the Beijing Olympics in August.

He failed to medal in the 100 metres, finishing fifth as compatriot Usain Bolt lowered the world record to 9.69 seconds. “This year I know that the only person that I will have to struggle with is me,” said Powell.

Convincing win for St Peter's

LEINSTER COLLEGES SHC A: This substandard Corn Uí Dhúill Leinster Colleges SHC A first round tie at the Eire Og, Carlow grounds yesterday ended in a merited seven- point win (0-18 to 1-8) for St Peter's, Wexford, over De La Salle, Bagenalstown. But the Wexford college will need to show considerable improvement if they are to progress much further.

Cormac Foley, the St Peter’s left full forward, was in fine form, notching half of his side’s total, made up of five points from frees, three from play and a 65.

De La Salle midfielder Jason Holden kept his side in the game, the Paulstown player scoring 1-7 – 1-6 from frees and the other from a superb line cut. At half-time St Peter’s led 0-6 to 0-4 but their superiority was apparent in the second half. But they could never fully shake off the challenge of dogged opponents, who lacked a cutting edge in attack. Midfielder Michael Meaney scored their only point from play in the 53rd minute. Willie Devereux, who won a Wexford SHC medal with St Martin’s last year, had a fine game in defence for the winners, scoring two points from play. Kevin Whelan, team captain James Gordon, Eoin Whitmore and Brian Doyle also showed up well.

ST PETER’S: M Fanning; A Cash, K Whelan, B Tobin; B O’Gorman, J Gordon, W Devereux (0-2); B Barron (0-1), E Whitmore (0-1); M Regan (0-1), L Og McGovern (0-1), B Berney; D Wright (0-1), B Doyle (0-2), C Foley (0-9, five frees, one 65). Subs: G. Moore for Berney (half time); S Griffith for Barron (injured) (40 mins).

DLS: A Townsend; J Hughes, J Ryan, B Hourihane; S Whelan, T Nolan, K Regan; J Holden (1-7, 1-6 frees, 0-1 sl), M Meaney (0-1); A Beaton, H Gahan, D Corcoran; P Drennan, J Doyle, J O’Brien. Subs: J O’Connor for O’Brien (half time); S Murphy for Corcoran (52 mins); E Butler for Whelan (54 mins).

Referee: O Hynes (Carlow).