Previous Day
Cork draw attention for the right reasons
After a lengthy and bitter dispute, the footballers start their
campaign on a winning note, writes
Sean Moran p
Battle for fourth place hots up
FA Premier League DAVID MOYES saw his Everton side
reclaim fourth spot in the Premier League yesterday, but still
insisted that Liverpool were favourites to clinch the final
Champions League place. p
Lombard puts on show but fails to capture audience
ATHLETICS INTERCLUBS CROSS COUNTRY THE FIRST
runner-up described what he did as "disgusting"; the second
runner-up refused to shake his hand, saying, "You can't trust
someone like that." And this was only part of the response to
Cathal Lombard's winning of the National Interclubs cross country
title. p
Soccer
Liverpool respond to Gerrard's prompting
Bolton 1 Liverpool 3 IT WAS on the eve of a do-or-die Champions League group tie against Olympiakos in 2004 that Steven Gerrard delivered his most infamous clarion call to Liverpool, accusing the club of broken promises and threatening to leave before guiding the team to qualification and ultimately the miracle in Istanbul. pBig bench press as United flex muscles
Fulham 0 Manchester Utd 3 MANCHESTER UNITED flexed their muscles after the points were safe. A flash of red interrupted the black tracksuits and coats of their substitutes' bench and it was not only Fulham hearts that sank. pHard to know what to make of this Arsenal
Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 1 THE OUTCOME was as enigmatic as Arsenal's season. It is unclear whether this is another transitional year in the rebuilding of the side or a campaign that will bring the title to the Emirates. pChelsea still well in hunt for title
West Ham 0 Chelsea 4 EVEN RIOTOUS victories such as these come with flipsides for Chelsea. The club's best win at the Boleyn Ground was secured despite the dismissal of Frank Lampard, a pantomime villain in these parts, for a slap in the face of Luis Boa Morte that television replays could not detect. pYakubu stoops to conquer
Everton 3 Portsmouth 1 IF LIVERPOOL'S win over Bolton Wanderers had removed the frisson of expectation that Everton may be able to increase their lead and make fourth place in the Premier League that little bit more secure, an early goal by Yakubu Ayegbeni initially had Goodison Park dancing in the wind like daffodils in nearby Stanley Park. pSunderland rue a missed chance
Derby County 0 Sunderland 0 IF ALL good things must come to an end, then what about bad things? The jury were still out on that one on Saturday when Mike Riley finally put a seemingly interminable goalless bore of a game out of its misery. pValiant Brown shows Celtic's spirit
Hibernian 0 Celtic 2 CELTIC MANAGER Gordon Strachan insists Scott Brown exemplifies the spirit running through the Parkhead side as they seek to extend their participation in this season's Champions League campaign. pRoman guard is all the security Grant needs
ANDREW FIFIELD PREMIER LEAGUE WE DON'T know much about Roman Abramovich. He may have been in our lives for almost five years now but his manners and methods remain almost a complete mystery, his inscrutability encapsulated in that curiously gormless expression he sports in his corporate box on match-days at Stamford Bridge. pPlanet Soccer
Other soccer stories in brief p
Murphy's fortunes swing again
SIX NATIONS NEWS IN KEEPING with Geordan Murphy's wildly swinging fortunes with the Irish rugby team over the years, the fullback has again added to the selection headaches of Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan in the run-up to Saturday's match against Wales. Murphy, who was inspirational against Scotland in Ireland's last match, was substituted because of injury during Leicester's English Premiership match against Leeds on Saturday. pPast form no prop in Gatland's set-up
SIX NATIONS IRELAND V WALES Gethin Jenkins has found that reputation counts for nothing, writes John O'Sulli van pReds lose but Ireland win as O'Connell stars
Cardiff Blues 25 Munster 22 : PAUL O'CONNELL'S try may not have been enough to save Munster but his return is sure to provide Ireland with a major boost ahead of Saturday's Triple Crown clash against Wales. pCBC prove too strong for battling Glenstal
CBC Cork 18 Glenstal Abbey 12 : CBC WERE made to battle all the way by tenacious Glenstal Abbey before claiming their anticipated victory in the Munster Schools' Senior Cup semi-final at windswept Clanwilliam Park yesterday. pAs you were at the topof the table
CORK CONSTITUTION and Shannon consolidated their positions at the top of the All-Ireland League at the weekend, with Cork Constitution beating Dublin side St Mary's at home 19-8 and Shannon, inspired by veteran and two-try man Andrew Thompson, running in four tries in their 27-12 win over Terenure. pPlanet Rugby
Other rugby strories in brief p
Galway work up a storm, Tyrone give it a blast
Galway1-14 Tyrone 2-9 IF EVER the GAA wanted to market Gaelic football across the wider world, they should just send these two counties off to play exhibition games. pStamp of McGeeney on Kildare deliverance
Kildare 0-12 Donegal 0-11 ALL GAMES take on a life of their own. This repeat of last year's league semi-final had a slow-beating rhythm until the exhilarating finale saw the hosts record a first victory of the campaign. pSheehan snatches deserved share of the spoils from dogged 14-man Derry
Kerry 0-10 Derry 0-9 KERRY WERE fortunate to grab a last-minute winner from Bryan Sheehan after a titanic battle with a previously unbeaten Derry at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney. pHonours even as Laois and Mayo end their losing runs
Laois 1-13 Mayo 1-13 BOTH LAOIS and Mayo have stopped losing but have yet to start winning after deadlock prevailed in O'Moore Park, Portlaoise on Saturday night where battling qualities and stamina predominated rather than quality football. pCork hit the ground running on their return
Cork 1-14 Roscommon 0-15 CORK MADE their belated entry to this year's Allianz NFL Division Two a profitable one. A successful raid on Kiltoom saw Conor Counihan's team just about get enough on the board in a wind-assisted first half, before they played some smart football into the breeze. pDublin ride outthe Breffni storm
Dublin 1-9 Cavan 0-7 A BLEAK and meaningful drama filled with seasonal portents. That's what we thought to ourselves. Only pretend. That's what they said down at the dressingrooms, where we could get the smell of the greasepaint and the damp scent of the crowd. pFinlay seals dramatic win for Monaghan
Monaghan 1-11 Armagh 1-10 PAUL FINLAY'S pointed free late in stoppage time saw Monaghan snatch a late dramatic victory to send a shellshocked Armagh home with nothing to show for their efforts in this hard-hitting, rugged encounter in Clones yesterday. pWestmeath finally master neighbours
Westmeath 1-10 Meath 0-8 WESTMEATH HAVE never defeated their neighbours and age-old rivals Meath in senior championship football and their victories over the Royal County in the National Football League have been few and far between. pReid gives Waterford that bit extra
FITZGIBBON CUP FINAL Waterford IT 1-29 Limerick IT 1-24 After two periods of extra-time WATERFORD IT produced a sprint finish to capture the Fitzgibbon Cup at the end of an extraordinary final which needed two periods of extra-time, lasting 30 minutes, at Cork IT grounds on Saturday. pWexford leave it late
Wexford 2-8 Down 0-9 : WEXFORD CLICKED in the second half on their way to an impressive five-point victory over Down in this top-of-the-table clash at Wexford Park yesterday. pLongford in the red
Fermanagh 2-10 Longford 1-10 : WITH THEIR previous two fixtures postponed by weather, Fermanagh finally got their campaign up and running by getting the better of Longford at Pearse Park. pDavey saves Sligo
Sligo 0-14 Limerick 1-10 : A LAST-GASP point by Jonathan Davey saved Sligo's blushes in this mediocre Division Three game at Markievicz Park yesterday. pPower play is just too much for Clare
DIVISION FOUR A 68TH-MINUTE goal from the penalty-spot by top scorer Connie Power gave Waterford a deserved, if somewhat flattering, 1-13 to 0-10 victory over Clare at Dungarvan yesterday, a result that leaves the Bannermen pointless after three rounds of the league. p
River Liane flows impressively
LEOPARDSTOWN REPORT AN EARLY taste of some Cheltenham betting fever came out of the blue at Leopardstown yesterday when the ex-French four-year-old River Liane won so impressively on his Irish debut he ended up being backed into favouritism for the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle. pApt Approach's boost
LEOPARDSTOWN GALLOPS LEOPARDSTOWN'S eve-of-festival gallops session has a history of throwing up major Cheltenham hints, but yesterday's significant result could have come 100 miles away at Clonmel. p
Late birdie surge earns Brown second title
GOLF EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS NEW ZEALAND'S Mark Brown produced a stunning final nine holes to claim a dream victory in the Johnnie Walker Classic and a second title in a week. pGolf Digest
Other golf stories in brief p
Playboy with a good head for business
FORMULA ONE INTERVIEW WITH FLAVIO BRIATORE In his day job, Briatore has been arguably the most impressive team principal in recent history, writes Richard Gillis pF1 gets serious about green agenda
Honda F1's "Earth Car" was launched last season, forgoing the traditional livery of sponsors logos and replaced by a digitalised picture of the world taken from space. It did its job, creating headlines around the world and helped position the Japanese carmaker as a leader in the debate on renewable energy.F1 2008 schedule
The 2008 Formula One racing schedule. pRobson spots prehistoric Munster monster in Jurassic Arms Park
TV View : MARK ROBSON is a decent bloke. We know this for sure.While most skiing chappies would boast of conquering the slopes at trendy spots like Kitzbühel or Cortina d'Ampezzo or Val d'Isère, the silver-tongued Ulsterman with a liking for comparing rugby players with exotic beasts - mostly extinct ones, mind you - let it slip during Leinster's Magners League match with Connacht on Setanta Sports on Friday night he had just returned from a ski trip . . . to Scotland! pMuller pleased despite final loss
Women's Hockey : A 3-0 DEFEAT by their hosts in Wellington marked the end of Ireland's brief trip to New Zealand, with coach Gene Muller insisting that the journey, including four games in seven days, was "critical" in the side's build-up to next month's Olympic Qualifier. pPembroke back on top after draw
Men's Hockey : THREE ROCK ROVERS hit eight goals past Bray to go level at the top of the Leinster Senior League, but their exalted status lasted only overnight as Glenanne drew 1-1 with Pembroke at Glenanne Park yesterday, a result which puts Pembroke again on top. pSwail fastest in Florida
Equestrian Sport: IRISH RIDERS performed well over the weekend, both in eventing and show jumping, with four speed class victories on two continents. pSports Digest
Other sports stories in brief pGnawing doubts about pay-per-chew revulsion
Tom Humphries Locker Room SO. ARE YOU appalled and unsettled by it? Remember that this column offers a space where you may talk freely and in confidence about the troubling moral issues of the day. Go ahead. p
