TENNIS: Owen Casey, in his third decade of involvement with Ireland's Davis Cup side, will take over the non-playing captain's role for the team's home match against Egypt on April 4th-6th in Fitzwilliam Tennis Club, reports Johnny Watterson.
Casey will guide a team made up of four Dublin players, David Mullins, Stephen Nugent, Sean Cooper and John Doran. But they will be without the current Irish number one Peter Clarke.
Clarke has been suspended for the this tie following a Tennis Ireland disciplinary process arising from Ireland's match against Slovenia in July last year.
The Egyptian team will arrive here nest Monday. Their top players are Karim and Mohammed Maamoun who are ranked 400th and 700th respectively on the ATP lists.
Still Irish Casey feels an Irish victory is possible: "This is probably our most inexperienced Davis Cup Team in recent years. Three of our players are still in the early stages of their professional careers, but I think that we have a trump card in John Doran.
"While John no longer plays full-time, he was inside the top 500 in the world just six months ago. I am certain he can do a job for us and I feel that the fast indoor courts at Fitzwilliam will swing things back in our favour".
The match times are: Friday 4th April at 4 p.m.; Saturday 5th at 2 p.m.; Sunday 6th at 1 p.m.
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CRICKET: Ireland's national coach Adi Birrell said he was "bitterly disappointed" at yesterday's shock announcement by the International Cricket Council (ICC) that it has called off all four World Divisional tournaments due to have been played later this year as part of the build-up to the 2005 World Cup Qualifying competition, the staging of which has already been awarded to the Irish Cricket Union (ICU).
Ireland were scheduled to play in the Division Two tournament in Los Angeles next autumn.
"The Los Angeles event would have been an ideal testing ground for our players, and it would also have given us the chance to size up some of the opposition we are likely to meet in the next ICC Trophy," said Birrell.
The ICC says that its top officials will now work with the associate countries on the format for the ICC Trophy in Ireland in 2005. All 12 teams in the first and second divisions of the World League will take part, so Ireland's place is guaranteed.
