Hockey: Justin Sherriff, having achieved the unique distinction of scoring a hat-trick on his senior international debut in the 4-0 defeat of Wales at Belfield on Saturday, also put away the winning goal against Scotland (1-0) yesterday as Ireland carried off the Celtic Cup to renew encouragement for the future, writes Dermot Ashmore.
As Sherriff - just turned 21 - was first to stress, it was an excellent team performance, first in outplaying Wales with Chris Jackson opening the scoring from a short corner as early as the third minute. Sherriff increased the lead with a vintage reverse-stick shot from the top of the circle and then made it 3-0 from a drag flick. Resistance was stronger in the second half until Jackson set up Sherriff's third goal in a closing offensive.
It was also a debut to remember for Kyle Thompson as he was unbeaten between the Irish posts. Yesterday, the number one goalkeeper Nigel Henderson needed to be vigilant in foiling Richard Forsyth in Scottish counter-thrusts but largely Ireland were the more expansive side.
Errol Lutton, Jason Black and Mark Raphael were particularly forceful, though the decisive breakthrough came only eight minutes from the end. Sherriff - who had seen a rasper saved brilliantly by Chris Anderson in an opening attack - this time set the net quivering again from a set-piece delivery.
Ireland (v Wales) - K Thompson; G Goulet, A Dowd (capt), E Lutton, P Brown; J Black, M Raphael, N Buttimer; C Jackson, J Sherriff, J Stevenson; subs: D McAnulty, I Steen, D Smyth, S Butler. (v Scotland) - N Henderson; Goulet, Lutton, Dowd, Brown; Black, Raphael, Buttimer; Jackson, Sherriff, Stevenson; subs: McAnulty, Butler, Steen.
Hockey: Joan McCloy, a founder member of Belfast club Pegasus and honorary secretary of the Irish Ladies' Hockey Union until its dissolution on Saturday morning, was elected as first president of the newly formed Irish Hockey Association at its inaugural meeting later in the day at a Dublin hotel, writes Mary Hannigan.
McCloy defeated Douglas Grey, youth secretary of the European Hockey Federation, in the election, for which a sizeable contingent of Pegasus players and officials turned up to vote, although the margin of her victory was not made public. While all concerned expressed a wish that the IHA, an amalgamation of the ILHU and the Irish Hockey Union, would be a "vibrant association to take Irish hockey in to the new millennium" its birth has not been greeted with universal glee.
Ulster's John Smyth, president of the IHU until Saturday, is the new vice-president of the IHA, with Marius Gallagher as Hon treasurer. Munster's John Dennis will be chairman of the management committee, with Grace Redmond, former ILHU president, as vice-president, with Norma Gartside, Sally Kavanagh, Andrew Kershaw, Caitriona O'Brien and Dixon Rose elected as members of the committee.
Meanwhile the ILHU, at its final annual general meeting, voted in favour of introducing an All-Ireland League next season, one that will feature the top three teams from Ulster and Leinster, the Munster champions and the winners of a play-off between the Munster League runners-up and the winners of the Connacht League. Four teams from the eight will win through, after home and away ties, to the finals, the format of which will be identical to the existing three-day, round-robin tournament.
It was also agreed at the meeting that, as of next season, drawn Irish Senior Cup matches will not go to a replay, with each tie settled on the day through extra-time and, if necessary, penalty strokes.
Cricket: The Inter-provincial match at College Park yesterday was no true test of Leinster's current abilities, as a woefully weak Munster side was unable to offer any challenge worthy of the name. It was all over by early afternoon, as Leinster raced to a facile eight-wickets victory, writes Karl Johnston.
Having won the toss, Angus Dunlop put Munster in, and didn't have too long to wait for the initial breakthrough. Paul Mooney had opener Jamie Carnegie caught in the slips by Gus Joyce to start the rot which Munster would never manage to arrest.
The only Munster batsmen to reach double figures were skipper Ted Williamson who scored a dogged 19 off 58 balls and John Power, who hit an unbeaten 17 off 44 deliveries. Matt Dwyer took 3 for 17 off his 10 overs, while Mooney, Conor Armstrong and Greg Molins picked up a brace each, as Munster were riddled for 83 with almost seven overs to spare.
The Leinster fielding was impressive. Gus Joyce held four slip catches, and Barry Archer took two more, one of them a truly superb effort, while the debutante wicket-keeper Simon Milton claimed his first inter-provincial victim when he stumped Keith Banks.
Leinster needed only 18.2 overs for victory. By the merciful end, Gus Joyce had hit an undefeated 46 off 61 balls, blasting eight fours and one six in the process, while Archer and Peter Davy contributed 22 and 10, respectively.
Sailing: Following two further days of cancellation at the SPA Olympic classes regatta in Holland over the weekend, last Friday's overall standings of the grade one event have remained unchanged. Three out of five days of scheduled racing were called off due to near gale force winds on the Ijsselmeer, north of Amsterdam, writes David Branigan.
The outcome of this event has been of particular importance for the two Irish boats hoping to qualify for Sydney 2000. Both Tom Fitzpatrick with David McHugh in the 470 and Jon Lasenby in the Laser had been aiming for the first of two top-12 results at Medemblick.
Although both boats had inauspicious starts to the series last Wednesday, Friday saw a jump in performance leading to hopes of a good placing at the event. The 470 pair ended in 17th place overall but were then surprised by a jump to 15th place after two protest hearings involving other boats affected the overall results.
A final leap to 13th place, their first qualifying result, seemed to be on the cards if the racing programme was sailed in full. The effective abandonment of the series now places all the pressure on their next event, the European Championships in 10 days' time, just one of two remaining grade one events in which they can qualify for the Irish squad.
Lasenby is in a similar position as his double-handed counterparts. A good day on Friday transformed his standing from 87th overnight to 43rd. A further leap in just two days to the nominating standard in Holland might have stretched the laws of probability, though continuing this form at the next two events could bring him into the realms of qualification.
Special Olympics: The Irish Special Olympics team set off from Dublin Airport on Saturday for the 2000 Special Olympics European Summer Games which are being held in Groningen (Netherlands) from May 27th to June 4th.
Team Ireland is represented by 54 athletes from 19 counties, north and south of the Border, and will participate in seven sports: Athletics, swimming, equestrian events, tenpin bowling, basketball, table-tennis and gymnastics.
Ireland's youngest athlete is 12-year-old Aaron Doherty from Dublin. However, athletes well into their fifties are also participating, ensuring there is no age barrier at international level.
"Lets Win Together" is the motto of the Special Olympics Groningen Foundation which is organising the Games. It is a major sporting occasion, with 1,850 athletes and 600 coaches coming from more than 50 European and Eurasian countries.
