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| Hannah Cullen, Irish champion |
VOSS THE BOSS AT STILLORGAN
TEN PIN BOWLING: Pro bowling legend Brian Voss of the USA leads a record entry of 150 bowlers at next week’s Columbia 300 Irish Open Tenpin Bowling Championships in Leisureplex Stillorgan, Dublin.
In a long career, Voss collected 25 PBA titles, the last of these – a mixed doubles – in the 2009/10 season when aged 51. Known for his ability to play on any surface, Voss has rolled close to 60 perfect 300 games.
With the Irish Open firmly established on the international circuit, players from 12 nations, including Norway, Sweden, England, Scotland, and Latvia will take on “Voss the Boss” for a share in the €17,500 prize fund. Among them will be Dublin taxi-driver Paul Stott, who beat Voss on the way to victory in the Bucharest Open in Romania last November. Also in contention are Irish champion Alan Bride and the consistent Alan Gibbons, second behind England’s Dom Barrett last year.
Leading the Irish women’s entry is Kerena Dykes, who made history in 2007 when she took the women’s title, becoming the first local winner ever in the tournament. She repeated that victory in 2009. With last year’s winner Cassie Staudinger of Australia not competing, Dykes has a great chance of making it a hat-trick of victories in her home tournament. A big rival is sure to be the current Irish women’s champion Hannah Cullen, who beat Dykes last year to finish runner-up in the tournament.
First aim for the top players is to make the final “step-ladder” stage of the competition after three bruising days of elimination rounds. Play starts next Thursday evening and continues all day Friday and Saturday; finals between the last eight men and women on Sunday January 22 (11am). Spectators are welcome.
LONDON 2012 COUNTDOWN FOR HOCKEY SQUADS
HOCKEY: With Olympic qualification tournaments looming in March, the Irish men and women’s hockey teams face a busy few weeks. After an eight day training camp in Spain, where they will play three matches against the Dutch, the men play two matches against Great Britain in England and then return to Spain for more training as well as matches against Spain and Belgium. The men’s London 2012 qualification tournament takes place in Dublin.
For the women, warm weather training in South Africa will include a tri-nations tournament with South Africa and Belgium. They then head for Belgium to test the the pitch and set-up for their London 2012 qualifier at Beerschot.
CELBRIDGE THE CHAMPIONS
SNOOKER: After beating Maynooth to take the Leinster title, Celbridge Snooker Club are now favourites to win the All-Ireland title in Killarney later this month. Captained by Nigel Power, the powerful Celbridge squad includes three former Irish National champions in Colm Gilcreest, Martin McCrudden and TJ Dowling as well as ex-pro Joe Delaney and the in-form John Sutton.
At the Leinster deciders, their toughest match came in the quarter-finals when they scraped past 147 Wexford 3-2. In the semi-finals, they then whitewashed Navan 3-0. In the second semi-final, Maynooth beat Kilkenny.
All four semi-final teams represent Leinster at the All-Irelands, along with fifth-placed Q Club from Wicklow. Roadstone A beat Roadstone C to take the Dublin title at Darcy McGee’s Snooker Club and they too will play in Killarney.
ULSTER JUNIOR TITLES FOR MCKEE, STEPHENSON
BADMINTON: Andrew McKee beat Stuart Lightbody to win the men’s singles at the Ulster Junior Badminton Open. Alannah Stephenson toppled top seed Laura Butler from Leinster in the women’s semi-finals before going on to beat Catherine Coyle for the title. In the women’s doubles final, Butler and partner Kirsty Kelly lost to Caroline Black and Rachael Darragh.
TEST REGATTA FOR YOUTH WORLD IN DUBLIN BAY
SAILING: Dun Laoghaire hosts the ISAF Youth World Championships next July and so youth teams from Great Britain, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan and Canada are expected to test the waters at April’s ISA Mitsubishi Nationals on Dublin Bay. Over 400 sailors will compete in seven different classes (Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, 420, Feva, Topper, 29er and Optimist). The regatta, involving three clubs, three race courses and hundreds of volunteers, will allow the organiser to fine tune their plans for the Youth Worlds three months later.
Details www.dublinbay2012.com.
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