MOTOR SPORT: Richard Burns sparked a tug-of-war for his services after being crowned world rally champion in Cardiff last night. The 30-year-old roared into the history books after becoming the first Englishman to win the drivers' crown, by finishing third in the Rally of Britain.
Burns had tip-toed round the rain-lashed forest roads in Wales yesterday to snatch the title from Colin McRae by just two points. McRae was back home in Scotland after spectacularly barrel-rolling his Ford Focus out of contention last Friday.
But the title triumph - marred after 13 spectators, including children, were injured when the Ford Focus of Carlos Sainz went off course near Carmarthen on Saturday - will spark a battle between Subaru and Peugeot.
French car giants Peugeot insist Burns is joining them next season in a £4.5 million sterling deal, but Subaru, who have already signed four-time champion Tommi Makinen for 2002, believe they have an option on him now that he is champion.
BOXING: Delegates to Saturday's meeting of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association heard of a serious scarcity of doctors willing to officiate at tournaments. It is illegal to stage a boxing show without the presence of a doctor.
The association's chief medical officer Seβn Donnelly of Belfast told the meeting of the current difficulties in getting doctors to operate. Martin Power suggested that a recruitment advertisement be placed in the Irish Medical Journal.
Donnelly will tell a special meeting with the officer board that doctors, unlike in the past, want to be paid for attending shows.
Gerry Story has been delegated to attend the inaugural Women's World championships in New Jersey later this month as an observer. There are no Irish entries.
The reigning Irish under-21 champions will meet their junior counterparts at the National Stadium on January 4th.
ATHLETICS: SΘamus Power from Clare turned on the style in the National Intercounty Senior Cross-Country Championship at Abbeyside yesterday to win the title for the seventh successive year. He had 12 seconds to spare over Garret Turnbull from Antrim as Dublin's Vinnie Mulvey came home in third.
Ann Keenan Buckley (Laois) retained the women's senior title again from Dublin's Marie McCambridge who was second. Valerie Vaughan (Cork) finished in third place.
Meanwhile Waterford Olympian Jamie Costin won the silver medal in the New Zealand 50-kilometre walk Championships in Christchurch yesterday in a time of 4:02.42.
