Gaelic Games: Tickets went on sale yesterday for the Galway GAA initiative to raise funds for the massive Pearse Stadium development through the purchase of race horses, reports Keith Duggan.

Five hundred speculators have been invited to invest £5,000 in both flat and National hunt race horses, which will be sold at the end of a three-year period. Of the £2.5 million collected through the fundraising drive, £1.25 million will go directly to Pearse Stadium and £750,000 to the purchase and training of the horses.

The idea was the brainchild of Joe Connolly, Galway's 1980 All-Ireland hurling winning captain. The racing club will purchase the first four horses at the end of the month.

The initiative was launched by Minister of Sport, Dr Jim McDaid, who announced that the government was donating £350,000 to Pearse Stadium.

It is hoped that Pearse Stadium will be fully open by October 2000.

HOCKEY: Generating sufficient fusion to overcome an understrength Avoca side 3-0, skipper Alan Browne relished the occasion as Glenanne retained the Stephen Doyle Trophy at the Iveagh Grounds yesterday, reports Dermot Ashmore.

Paul Fitzpatrick put away a clinical short corner and then Stephen Butler sent Libero Devon Kehoe scampering through to put Glenanne two up at the interval.

Avoca might have been on terms but for a brace of sharp saves by Ian Clarke from Galahad Goulet and Trevor Dagg. The resistance continued in the second half until John Goulding got a whispering touch to enhance the scoreline.

GLENANNE: I Clarke; D Shaw, Rory O'Donoghue, D Kehoe, P Fitzpatrick; G Shaw, S Butler, A Browne (capt); A O'Donoghue, J Goulding, Roly O'Donoghue. Subs: C Bolger, M Lambe.

AVOCA: Dagg, I Keogh; D Fanning, D Hanna, M Pedersen; E Handelman, G Goulet (capt), E Gallanagh. Sub: R Kirwan.

Umpires: G Johnston, P Rainey.

DRUGS IN SPORT: European Union sports ministers gave their backing to a new world body to combat drugs in sport, a number of delegations confirmed in Vierumaki, Finland yesterday. The EU's support came however with three conditions. Ministers want to see an across-the-board list of banned drugs covering all sports, they want the agency to have the power to carry out unannounced tests without the prior agreement from international federations, and finally the accreditation of test laboratories.