A round-up of other sports news in brief...
Ireland reach quarter-finals of European championship
GOLF: Leona Maguire produced a majestic performance at Kikkola in Finland yesterday to help Ireland reach the quarter-finals in the European girls amateur team championship as the top seeds.
The 14-year Slieve Russell girl who won the French under-21 title earlier in the year was the top individual over the 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying.
She shot a five-under par 67 which helped Ireland to cement their position at the top with a three-card 36-hole total of 439.
Ireland face Belgium in todays first match-play round with the prospect of clashing with England in the semi-finals tomorrow.
Ireland failed to make it into the top flight in either of the Boys Championship at Golf Club De Pan in The Netherlands or the rain-affected womens title event in Bled, Slovenia.
Egan looking for place on team
BOXING: Olympic silver medalist Ken Egan will face stiff competition when the quest for a place on the Irish team for the World Senior Championships in Italy gets underway in earnest in Dublin. Egan, a nine times Irish senior champion, will compete at light heavyweight along with eight other boxers at the Open Seniors tournament at the National Stadium,at 7.30pm tomorrow night.
Taylor cruises into quarter-finals
BOXING: Irelands World lightweight champion Katie Taylor cruised into the quarter-finals of an International Box-Off in Russia last night after recording her second victory on the bounce over Chinas Dong Cheng. The 10-2 preliminary last 16 verdict, achieved at the Sports Palace in St Petersburg, was a re-match of last November’s World Championships 60Kg final which Taylor won 13-2 to claim gold in Ningbo City, China.
Last night’s victory was the 22-year-old’s 36th in a row. She now meets Ayzanet Gazhieva of Russia in the quarter-finals this evening in a re-match of last year’s World Championships semi-final which Taylor won 20-2.
Gold and bronze for Murphy
SWIMMING: Limerick High Performance Centre swimmer Grainne Murphy won gold for Ireland in the final of the 400 metre Individual Medley at the European Junior Swimming Championships in Prague yesterday. Her winning time of 4.40.88 was a new European Junior Championship and Irish Junior Record, making her the first Irish swimmer to win gold at this competition.
Murphy’s finishing time was just 0.8 seconds outside of Michelle Smith de Bruin’s current Irish Senior Record (4.39.18) which she set at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Murphy won her second medal later in the day when taking the bronze medal in the 1,500 metre freestyle.
The New Ross native clocked a time of 16.35.93, swimming her way to a new Irish Junior and Senior Record.
Irish athletes on form in Belgrade
WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES: Irish athletes were on form again yesterday at the World University Games in Belgrade, with Beijing Olympians Fionnuala Britton and Eileen O’Keeffe advancing to the finals. Britton secured her place in the 3,000 metre steeplechase final tomorrow running a season’s best of 10:05.89 minutes. O’Keeffe needed just one attempt to reach the qualification target for the final of the women’s hammer with a throw. of 68.08m.
The men’s football team got their first win beating Ghana 4-1.
DIT student David O’Sullivan scored a hat-trick of headers in the win which puts the side through to face Morocco tomorrow in a play-off for 13th place. The women’s footballers are also through to a 13th place play-off tomorrow after beating South Africa 6-3. Goals from Nakita Burke (2), Mary Waldron, Sarah McGrath, Bronagh Sheridan, and Rachel Furness saw the Irish through.
Under-18s reach semi-finals
HOCKEY: Ireland Under-18 Boys advanced to the semi-finals of the European Youth Nations Cup in Viena yesterday after a 2-2 draw with Switzerland.
Ireland needed at least a draw to progress but the Swiss were the first off the mark scoring on the 20th minute before doubling their lead 10 minutes later.
Ireland pulled one back inside the first 60 seconds of the second half through Stephen Cole and equalised with just eight minutes to spare when Shane O’Donoghue’s initial effort was saved by the keeper but his quick reactions saw him bury the rebound. Ireland now face Wales in the last four tomorrow.
Ireland girls were beaten 3-1 by England despite taking an early lead after great work from Deirdre Duke on left hand side saw Ali Meeke finish off the move.
Ireland will now play Lithuania tomorrow morning in an attempt to retain A division status.
