VOLLEYBALL: Northern Ireland proved no match for the Irish women’s senior and junior teams at the annual St Patrick’s International held in St Mary’s Naas. Match of the day saw the Irish junior women, who produced a best ever performance at the European Small Nations qualifier earlier this year, pushed all the way ny the a young Northern Ireland squad. After a nervy start, they won the opening set 25-18 and then raced into a 16-8 lead in the second thanks to excellent work by the squad captained by Katie Nolan. Included in the squad were two sets of sisters – Heather and Aisling Clancy and Sarah and Karen Benn – with Orla Lynch, Lisa Needham and Aebhin Nugent among the other key players on the day.
Northern Ireland began a determined fight back, but the home side held on to win the second set 25-21. Even tighter was the third set, with Northern Ireland leading at 22-19 after winning seven straight points. It was a relieved Ireland that finally wrapped up the match at 25-23. In the senior match, Ireland was untroubled, winning 25-12, 25-10, 25-16.
MODERN PENTATHLON: Following his 25th position in the opening World Cup, Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe again made the final and finished 20th at modern pentathlon’s second World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
After the fencing and swimming, Lanigan O’Keeffe was lying in a superb 12th position, dropping to 14th after the show jumping. All that was left was the combined shooting and run, and although he missed two shots and lost time on the 3km run, he held on for 20th place to keep his hopes of Olympic qualification alive.
In the women’s final, a tired Natalya Coyle finished 32nd. A week earlier, Coyle had finished 18th in the opening World Cup round. She is now back in Ireland for a well-earned rest before two more World Cups in Hungary and Russia next month and the critical World Cup final and World Championships in May.
BADMINTON: Irish badminton player Tony Stephenson made the semi-finals of the men’s singles at the Baunivest Romanian International Series event, winning three matches before going out to No 4 seed Marcel Reuter of Germany 15-21, 16-21. Sinead Chambers made the second round of the women’s singles, while in the mixed doubles Chambers and Stephenson went out to eventual winners Melati Daeva Oktaviani and Edi Subaktiar of Indonesia in the quarter-finals.
SNOOKER: Places on the Irish team for next July’s World IBSF Snooker Championships in China at up for grabs at the weekend’s Under 21 National Championship in Douglas Snooker Club, Cork. he winner plus the highest two players on the national rankings after the championship will make the team for China. Currently leading the rankings is Ryan Cronin of Crucible Cork, followed by Karl Fitzpatrick of Ivy Rooms Carlow and Josh Boileau of Newbridge CYMS. Also taking place in the U-19 Championships, where Cronin also tops the rankings.
* At the European Team Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, the Irish masters’ team of Mark Tuite and Albert Hogan lost to Belgium 6 -4 in the semi-finals. In the senior competition, Rodney Goggins, John Sutton and Greg Casey were knocked out by Malta in the last 16. England won the title.
RUGBY LEAGUE: A young Irish rugby league team lost to a powerful American Tomahawks team at the annual Donnybrook Cup in Philadelphia.
In front of a packed stadium at Widener University, the Tomahawks ran in eight tries to Ireland’s four for a 38-20 victory. The Irish had been first to score with a Sean Carmody try, but the home side was quick to respond. Ireland’s other try scorers were Adam Hughes, Matty Haddon and Andy Brace.
ICE HOCKEY: Belfast Giants not only won their 15th league title but beat Sheffield Steelers 5-1 to take the Elite League Championship title for only a second time last week in front of a ecstatic home crowd in the Odyssey Belfast. It was a first league victory for the Giants since 2006.
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