VOLLEYBALL: A new-look Irish women’s volleyball played a brave match against Scotland at UCD – the first women’s international held in this country for some time. Captaining the side was Claire Treacy of Naas, while key players included libero Aoife Carroll of Naas, hitters Anita Dowling and Deirdre McLoughlin of Santry, UCD pair Miriam Nolan and Lyndsey Condell, Edel Nolan of Aer Lingus and Trinity’s Ruth Healy. In the absence of the injured Kate Ryan, Marie-Claire Sabogal – Santry took over the vital role of setter, backed up by Regina Ni hAilpin of Aer Lingus, the youngest member of the squad. Scotland took an early lead in the opening set , but the Irish women fought back to win 27-25. After the Scots went ahead, winning the next two sets, the Irish came to life again and won the fourth set, forcing a tie-break. In this, the Scottish weren’t to be denied, beating the tired Irish team 15-6 and taking the match. Both sides compete in next year’s European Small Nationals tournament.
“It was a very worthwhile exercise and showed the team with a bit more work, we can be right in there,” said coach Mark Delahunty.
BADMINTON: Leinster player Niall Tierney pulled off the big surprise at the Ulster Badminton Open when he beat Scott Burnside to take the men’s singles title. In the semi-finals, Tierney had put out Tony Stephenson of Ulster in a match decided by the gruelling opening set, won 21-19 by the Dubliner. Tierney also teamed up with Dan Magee to win the doubles title, beating Tony Stephenson and Tony Murphy in a three-set thriller.
Ulster’s Sinead Chambers won the women’s title when she beat Ailesbury’s Petra Rosolova, who was playing in her final tournament before returning to her native Czech Republic.
Chambers picked up her second title of the day with Leinster partner Jennie King, when the pair won the doubles title, getting the better of Leinster’s Pauline and Fiona Glennon.
In the mixed final, Chambers and younger brother Ciaran lost to top seeds, Dan Magee and Fiona Glennon, but did well to take a set.
WRESTLING: After finishing 9th at the World Championships, US-based Irish wrestler Alex Dolly has high hopes of qualifying for next year’s London Olympics.
Dolly, competing in the over 85kg class. benefited from a good draw in the worlds and could have gone further. With 30 seconds left in the third round of his match against Matsumoto of Japan, Dolly was 3-1 ahead, but allowed his rival to snatch the three vital points that gave him the match.
With the top 12 in the rankings heading for London, Dolly has a final chance to book his place next spring, when four more qualification tournaments take place.
CANOEING: A team of Irish paddlers is currently in Singapore at the World Marathon Canoe Championships. In the women’s K1, Jenny Egan faces six laps of the 4.2km course with six portages. Neil Fleming in men’s K1 and, with Peter Egan in men’s K2, face seven laps with seven portages. All in 35 degrees of heat!
DARTS: England dominated the WDF World Darts Cup in Castlebar, Co Mayo, beating teams from 39 nations. The English won seven of the eight categories, only missing out in the youths’s singles, won by Jimmy Hendricks of the Netherlands. Star of the side was many times world champion Martin Adams, although his team mate Scott Waites won the singles this time.
For the Irish, who had won 24 medals last time in the USA, there was to be no glory – apart from the deserved praise they got for a superbly organised event.
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| Matt Molloy |
TRIATHLON: Aileen Morison concluded her World Cup year with a superb second place at the Tongyeong World Cup in Korea. A week earlier, the globe-trotting Morrison had finished 4th in the Mexico World Cup. She also finished 4th in the highly competitive ITU World Champions Series in Japan.
At the Hawaii Ironman, Matt Molloy, winner of the Gatorade Dublin Triathlon, was ninth M40 in 9 hours 13 minutes 56 seconds.
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