Tough task for young Irish

Tennis: The Irish women's Federation Cup team today begin their bid for promotion from Euro-African Zone Group Two. The task is a tough one and with just three players, Rachel Dillon, Yvonne Doyle and Ann-Marie Hogan, rather than the traditional four travelling to Turkey, Ireland's task, under the guiding eye of captain Owen Casey, is not for the faint- hearted.

It is one of the least experienced teams Ireland have sent to the Federation Cup for some years and although the experience will stand to the players, it won't make the matches any easier. Ann Mall, an experienced player based in the USA, would have been in the selectors' thoughts before she strained an abdominal muscle and declared herself unfit, while Kelly Liggan, currently playing in a five-week schedule in the US and Mexico, is seeking points to try and qualify for Wimbledon and is unavailable.

So just the three-player Irish team will go into the smaller of the pools along with Lithuania and Georgia at Club Ali bey Manavgat, Antalya. Four teams, Greece, Latvia, Poland and Portugal make up the other pool in the round- robin format.