Other sports news in brief
Banishing the Blues with in-port victories
SAILING: Bouwe Bekking stormed back into the Volvo Ocean Race in Stockholm yesterday, writes David Branigan, barely a week after a near disastrous grounding for his Telefonica Blue entry that received extensive damage.
Having effected repairs and completing the ninth leg of the race on Friday evening, the Dutch skipper of the Spanish entry kept alive his hopes of finishing second overall in the race when his team won the In-Port series. However, Ericsson 4 has already achieved the race title.
Ireland’s Green Dragon was last in the two race In-Port series. Ian Walker and his crew are fifth overall.
The final stage of the 39,000-mile race departs Sweden on Thursday afternoon for the final sprint to Russia. Meanwhile, the eighth entry in the race that “suspended racing” in Singapore at Christmas will compete in the final leg. Sufficient funding has been secured to enable the former “Team Russia” to take part and the 70-foot yacht is currently en route to Stockholm.
Ireland get four past hosts Russia
HOCKEY: A 4-0 victory over hosts Russia gave Ireland an impressive start to their Champions Challenge II campaign in Kazan yesterday, writes Mary Hannigan.
All the goals came in the first half of the game, Nikki Symmons scoring twice from short corners, in the 10th and 24th minutes, either side of a goal from her Loreto team-mate Liz Colvin, with UCD’s Lisa Jacob completing the scoring two minutes before the break.
Ukraine, 2-1 winners over Malaysia yesterday, are today’s opponents, the top two in the pool going through to Friday’s semi-finals. The winner of Saturday’s final is promoted to the 2011 Champions Challenge I.
The Ireland under-18 team drew their three-match series with England in Manchester over the weekend, Mary Logue’s side following up Friday’s superb 3-0 win over their hosts (Ali Meeke, Deirdre Duke and Niamh Atcheler got their goals) with a 2-2 draw on Saturday (Meeke again and Katie Codyre the scorers), before losing 4-1 yesterday.
O'Loughlin in form for nationals
CYCLING: Mayo’s David O’Loughlin showed good form in the run up to next week’s national road race championships, finished a fine 12th overall in the Boucles de la Mayenne stage race yesterday.
The 169 kilometre final stage from La Chapelle to Anthenaise was won by Benoit Daeninck (CC Nogent Sur Oise).
Steven Van Vooren was best placed of the An Post M Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly team, placing 14th in the mass sprint. O’Loughlin was in 33rd place. Race winner Janek Tombak (Cycling Club Bourgas) ended the 2.2-ranked event 13 seconds ahead of Agritubel’s Rémi Cusin (Agritubel). O’Loughlin was 50 seconds back in 12th.
Adaptive rowing success in Munich
ROWING: Ireland’s Adaptive Rowing team made history on their World Cup debut at Munich, writes Liam Gorman. Emer Patten, Shane Ryan, Kevin Du Toit, Sarah Caffrey and cox Laura Purdy took bronze in the Legs, Trunk and Arms mixed coxed four.
The Ireland crew held third for most of the 1,000 metres, behind eventual winners Britain and second-placed Germany, but had to hold off a late push by Poland to secure bronze.
At Henley Women’s Regatta, two Irish crews reached finals: Neptune’s Elaine Fitzgerald and Claire Ludlow in the elite lightweight pair and the Portora Schools’ eight both made it the last stage but bowed out there.
Irish crews also turned out in big numbers at Marlow Regatta in England, and had some good results, including wins for Commercial in yesterday’s elite four and Intermediate One eights over 1,000 metres.
The Adaptive events in Munich are for athletes with physical disabilities and the performance of the crews were the weekend highlight. “We’re delighted with the result,” said team manager Joe Cunningham, who was reaping the reward for a lot of hard work done behind the scenes in recent years. “It’s the first time coming out here with Adaptive crews and to come away with a bronze medal is huge,” said the Castleconnell man.
He paid tribute to Caffrey for setting the pace in the middle 500 metres of the race, which gave them a clear water advantage.
The Irish crew put on a push in the closing stages and Patten caught a crab (missed a stroke) and lost a hold on her oar. But the crew got over the line. Cunningham said that coach James Mangan, who came on board last year, had done “a phenomenal job” with the team. For Ryan (20), the medal can be added to his gold at the British Indoor Championships last year and bronze at the European Indoors earlier this year. The Trunks and Arms mixed Double Scull of Kevin Culhane and Karen Cromie, who were Ireland’s other representatives, finished sixth in their final.
Cromie’s former crewmate in the British system, James Roberts, was in the winning crew in Munich.
Promotion for Irish athletes
ATHLETICS: It proved to be a long couple of days but in the end the Irish athletes won promotion from League two in a most exciting European Team Championship in Banska, Slovakia over the weekend, writes Ian O’Riordan.
Lithuania came out on top with 216 points, with Ireland on 200.5 and Latvia in third.
Ireland had fine victories from Paul Hession in the 200m, Thomas Chamney in the 800m and Derval O’Rourke in the sprint hurdles, with runner up places from Ian McDonald in the hurdles, Eileen O’Keeffe in the women’s hammer, Mark Kirwan in the Steeplechase, Seán Connolly in the 3,000m, Kelly Proper in the long jump and Deirdre Byrne in the women’s 1,500 metres.
Alan O’Brien found victory in the 1,500m on Saturday, as did Fionnuala Britton in the women’s chase.
