Equestrian Sport: Ireland's six eventers and one dressage horse have all arrived safely in Sydney and are now ensconced in the Olympic stabling at Horsley Park, reports Grania Willis.
The horses all have to undergo a further two weeks' quarantine before contact with any of the Australian horses.
Susan Shortt, who was drafted on to the team following the withdrawal of Sasha Harrison almost a fortnight ago, arrived in Sydney with chef d'equipe Helen Cantillon-O'Keeffe at the beginning of the week. The other event riders - Nicola Cassidy, Trish Donegan, Virginia McGrath, Austin O'Connor and Trevor Smith - plus dressage rider Heike Holstein, all leave for Australia today.
Golf: Alison Coffey produced one of the best rounds of the day to help Britain and Ireland step up their challenge for the World Women's Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy at the Sporting Club Berlin yesterday.
The Irish champion returned an excellent level par 72 on this tough 6,155-yard layout. Coffey actually dropped a stroke on the final hole after driving into thick rough. Her score was beaten by only a handful of players on a day when no country finished under-par.
Britain and Ireland finished the first 36 holes with a total of 295 - seven-over-par in joint seventh place, four strokes behind new leaders France.
Ireland's other representative, Suzanne O'Brien, is not having the best of times in Berlin. Her score of 76 yesterday was the one discounted for the second consecutive day. British Champion Rebecca Hudson handed in a 75.
Tennis: There was further evidence at Fitzwilliam yesterday of the great uncertainty of Irish tennis at under-18 level when John McGahon, the number two seed from Dundalk, and Susan Campbell, seeded at four in the premier girls event, were both dispatched without winning a set as the Dunlop Irish Open championships reached the penultimate stages, reports Pat Roche.
Brian Kennedy of Castleknock adopted a smash-and-grab approach against McGahan, wisely refusing to get involved in rallies with a player who is more suited to the percentage game despite his 127 m.p.h. serve in last week's East of Ireland.
Kennedy's rapier serves enabled him to get to the net where he repeatedly stole McGahon's thunder. Kennedy closed down the match 6-1, 6-4 to qualify for a semi-final place with Timo Barry of Kells. Top seed Mark Finnegan and Nelson Boyle meet in the top half.
Susan Campbell of Naas failed to deal with the persistent play of unseeded Susy Perkins of Greystones.
Cycling: Two Irish cyclists had recent successes in races across the Irish Sea. Paddy Moriarty of the Dublin Skip team, who was best Irish rider in fourth overall in this year's FBD Milk Ras, finished sixth overall in the Surrey League Revolutions five-day. The Dubliner had won a stage plus registering two third places.
Susan O'Mara is another who reached the podium; she showed she had got good form out of the recent Junior Tour of Ireland when she finished third in the bunch sprint which decided the Denbigh Women's road race in Rhyl, Wales.
