Previous Day
Referee puts damper on Dubs outing
GAELIC GAMES: DUBLIN ARE currently under the spotlight for disciplinary reasons so a trip to Crossmaglen was always going to pull in a sizeable crowd from the south Armagh region along with the hardcore travelling support. p
Everton spurn the high life
SOCCER/PREMIER LEAGUE/Liverpool 1 Everton 0: LIVERPOOL YEARN for the keys to the penthouse but their own residence three floors below is coveted fiercely by most of the Premier League's occupants. Everton, comfortably beaten in everything other than the tally of goals, lack the means to achieve the high life. p
Chelsea fortunate to remain in the hunt
SOCCER/Chelsea 1 Middlesbrough 0: CHELSEA'S PURSUIT
has been maintained at a stagger rather than a sprint. Victory here
hauled them back up to second, and within five points of the top,
but this display will hardly have Manchester United quaking in
their boots. Had Afonso Alves brought the form that inflated his
transfer fee as a potent scorer in the Dutch league to England,
then the home side's game of catch-up might have been rendered
hopeless. Regardless, this is a club sensing conspiracy. p
Soccer
Rooney adds brawn to samba brigade
Manchester Utd 4 Aston Villa 0: "IT'S JUST like watching Brazil" is a tongue-in-cheek chant that often reverberates around football stadiums to much amusement, but there would be no need for Manchester United fans to suppress smiles when singing the words. No one was laughing when Wayne Rooney, emboldened by a mesmerising United performance that included everything from audacious backheels to outrageous nutmegs, drew comparisons with football's favourite country. pVan Persie hails a little miracle
Bolton 2 Arsenal 3: THE EASE with which Matt Taylor headed Bolton's first goal, and the general muddle in the build-up to and execution of his second, compounded the view that there remains an intrinsic insecurity in the centre of the Arsenal defence, one that Liverpool may be able to exploit this Wednesday. pBeautiful game not the only one in town
PREMIER LEAGUE: The long, hard league season has exposed Arsenal's limitations and Arsene Wenger needs to change tack, writes Andrew Fifield pKeane gets history on his side
Sunderland 2 West Ham Utd 1: AS HALF-TIME approached Alan Curbishley produced a pad and pen from his pocket and, presumably preparing to address West Ham's players, began making notes. A few yards to the left Roy Keane stood scowling with arms firmly folded and the genesis of an impending homily fast developing in his head. pSmith works Old Firm magic again
Rangers 1 Celtic 0: GORDON STRACHAN seems too pragmatic an individual to believe in bad karma, but Celtic's manager might just have cause to wonder how he upset Walter Smith in a previous life as he picks through another Old Firm defeat this morning. Smith's return to Ibrox last January has been a disaster for Strachan. Rangers have won all four Glasgow derbies since then, scoring seven goals without reply, and showing once again that Smith holds the Indian sign over Celtic as he did when Tommy Burns was in charge at Parkhead a decade ago. pJoy unconfined for Keegan
Tottenham 1 Newcastle Utd 4: KEVIN KEEGAN noted last week that it did not take much to set Geordie pulses racing. A couple of wins at the beginning of a season and the team are going to win the Premier League, he smiled. pImpressive Rovers maintain their fine start
Galway United 0 Shamrock Rovers 2: THESE ARE interesting times for Shamrock Rovers, who continue to win with substance and a dash of style. pCobh hold neighbours in premium atmosphere
Cobh Ramblers 0 Cork City 0: IT WAS the end of a long wait for a Cork derby in the Premier Division, but after Saturday night's stalemate, supporters of the respective sides will have to wait longer to see a goal in this fixture. pFanad and Douglas Hall get their campaigns off to winning starts
FANAD UNITED overcame Cork outfit Carrigaline United 2-0 at Trialough yesterday as the FAI Cup kicked off in earnest. pPlanet soccer
Today's other stories in brief p
Leinster show they can do it the hard way
MAGNERS LEAGUE/Llanelli 10 Leinster 24: SLANTING RAIN and an ice rink of a pitch; this was one match Leinster would have been guaranteed to lose in another time and another place. Instead it was a coming of age of sorts for a side seeking a reputation for being able to dog it out when it counts. Leinster would say they dispelled the "flaky" myth a long time ago. If so Saturday's win over Llanelli serves to illustrate how far the team has come. Here's to more pushover tries from multiple phases. Banish thoughts of lovely Leinster. pCheika warns against any complacency
MAGNERS LEAGUE: THE FAT LADY has not sung just yet but she must be clearing her throat this morning as Leinster fans wake up believing that their first Celtic crown since 2002 will soon become a reality. pIreland overpowered
UNDER-18 SIX NATIONS/Ireland 11 Scotland 25: THIS CANNOT continue. Ireland's traditional schools avenue into international age-grade rugby is a nod to the past, a system that worked like a dream in the amateur days. pBig three seal their play-off spots
ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE ROUND-UP: THE ALL-IRELAND League will come down to the final round of the regular season on April 19th to sort out who joins play-off regulars Cork Constitution, Shannon and Garryowen. Dolphin's postponed match against St Mary's has been pencilled in for next weekend and with their last game away to Cork Con, they are best placed to deny Dublin challengers Clontarf and Blackrock. pPlanet rugby
Today's other stories in brief p
Cork's infusion of youth makes difference in helter-skelter game
NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE DIVISION ONE/Cork 2-17 Waterford 1-19: ONCE AGAIN Waterford and Cork spun us a lively yarn. pKildare fade into background
Kildare 2-8 Mayo 2-14: THE DARK clouds that drifted over St Conleth's Park as this tie drew to a close were matched by Kieran McGeeney's stern visage as he left the Kildare dressing-room yesterday. pSlick Sheehan sinks Laois
Laois 0-12 Kerry 0-16: BRYAN SHEEHAN'S unerring accuracy from placed balls helped Kerry to a deserved victory over struggling Laois at Portlaoise. Laois had a late opportunity from the penalty spot to ensure a gripping finale but Michael Tierney's spot-kick was saved by the Kerry keeper, Kieran Cremin. pFermanagh find winning formula
NFL DIVISION THREE/Sligo 0-14 Fermanagh 0-17: FERMANAGH ARE still riding high at the top of the table after this impressive three-point win over relegation-threatened Sligo at Markievicz Park yesterday. pLennon leads Louth's charge
Longford 0-14 Louth 2-21: TWO GOALS from full-forward Shane Lennon helped pave the way for a very easy Louth victory over Longford in a relegation battle at Pearse Park. pHudson's goal kills off Leitrim
Leitrim 0-7 Wexford 1-10: JOHN HUDSON'S 37th-minute punched goal helped Wexford kill off any hope of a Leitrim comeback at Wexford Park yesterday. pTyrone given a boost by late flurry
Donegal 0-9 Tyrone 0-11: TYRONE'S PUSH for survival received a major boost at Edendork yesterday, where victory in the big Ulster derby lifted them to mid-table. pFinlay strike has Monaghan in the clear
Meath 0-10 Monaghan 1-12: MONAGHAN PROVED much too potent for Meath and now move two points clear at the top of the division after their five-point victory over Meath in Scotstown. pDerby day bliss for Westmeath
Roscommon 0-6 Westmeath 1-14: WESTMEATH GAINED one of their easiest wins over Roscommon in a drab, one-sided local derby before 2,500 fans at sunny Kiltoom. Roscommon looked demoralised after their 24-point drubbing by Armagh and were never in the game against a more balanced Westmeath team. pGalway easily achieve their goals
Galway 3-9 Derry 0-13: GALWAY DISPOSED of Derry with a smouldering, attacking performance that may have been their most complete exhibition of teamwork to date. Liam Sammon's men are breathing hard on a place in the league final while Derry, after a bright spring beginning, were taken to school here. pThurles CBS reach final
ALL-IRELAND COLLEGES SH A SEMI-FINALS/Thurles CBS 0-12 Dublin Colleges 0-10: A FAST start and strong finish saw Thurles CBS win their second game in seven days and earn their place in the All-Ireland final. pCarlow end Tipperary's hopes of promotion
NFL DIVISION FOUR: A POINT from play by Paul Reid on 68 minutes gave Carlow a 1-10 to 1-9 victory at Dr Cullen Park yesterday and killed off the promotion hopes of Tipperary. pJohnston points way for Cavan
Cork 0-12 Cavan 0-13: A RELIEVED Cavan team manager Donal Keoghan saw his side achieve their first win in Division Two as Seanie Johnston's late point sufficed to pip Cork at Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday night. pBack-to-back still on for De La Salle
De La Salle 4-14 Gort CS 1-5: DEFENDING CHAMPIONS De La Salle continued their run to a second successive All-Ireland final appearance with an 18-point win over a gallant, but outclassed, Gort Community School side at Templemore on Saturday. pGAA digest
Today's other stories in brief p
Murtagh gets new season and new job off to a flyer
CURRAGH REPORT: JOHNNY MURTAGH secured a 113 to 1 treble at the Curragh yesterday, including winning on his first mount for Aidan O'Brien in his new role as number one jockey at Ballydoyle, but the former champion jockey did miss out in the Group Three feature behind Marjalina. pJupiter Pluvius may chase Guineas without a run
JUPITER PLUVIUS could follow in the footsteps of previous Aidan O'Brien-trained 2,000 Guineas winners and go straight to Newmarket in May without a preparatory run. p
Levet ends difficult years with play-off win
EUROPEAN TOUR: RISING ENGLISH star Oliver Fisher lost a golden opportunity to become the European Tour's fifth-youngest winner yesterday. pOlazabal to continue comeback
EUROPEAN TOUR: Jose Maria Olazabal will fly to the US today to continue his comeback despite a closing 76 at the Andalucian Open. p
Bekele again leads the Ethiopian rout
ATHLETICS/WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS: HOLY ETHIOPIA! The undisputed, unrivalled and now unbeatable world leaders in cross-country running. Such was their dominance here yesterday they may as well have zoomed in from another planet. pDay of tears and frustration for Irish
ATHLETICS: SHORTLY AFTER she crossed the finish line, Fionnuala Britton sat back on her heels, put her hands across her face and cried. These were tears of anger as much as disappointment. Finishing 36th in the World Cross Country wasn't the result anyone had wanted. pBearded belle can help bag Balco baddies
LOCKER ROOM: The trial of Tammy Thomas can prove a test case for US drug investigators as they target much bigger fish, writes Tom Humphries pThey've got the whole world in their plans
GLOBALISATION OF SPORT: Premier League games outside England? The market will dictate, which is why Wembley has hosted a NFL game and Hong Kong will put on a Bledisloe Cup clash, writes John Mehaffey pFishing around in the morning can lead to a decent catch
TV VIEW: LURCHING DOWN the stairs in a sleep-addled haze at 6.45am on Saturday was borne of a desire to test a theory based on having to write this column. Having flicked between the Setanta Sports coverage of two Magners League matches the previous night, we required additional research before producing the definitive thesis on "Television co-commentary and the art of Zen". The goal was to take in a Super 14 match but unfortunately, probably for the first time since the tournament started this season, Sky Sports were televising no live matches on the Saturday morning. pQuirke's star quality secures league title
BASKETBALL/LEAGUE FINALS: TRALEE TIGERS claimed the Men's SuperLeague title yesterday with a 66-62 win over Dart Killester at the University of Limerick's Sports Complex, with Michael Quirke named the MVP after an eventful week for the 6ft 6in centre. pPegasus sweeping all before them
WOMEN'S HOCKEY/IRISH SENIOR CUP FINAL/Pegasus 2 Ballymoney 1: CLAIRE McMAHON, not for the first time, produced the goals that clinched Pegasus yet more silverware for their bulging collection when her double at Belfield yesterday gave the Belfast cup holders victory in the ESB Irish Senior Cup final. pThree Rock gain some revenge
HOCKEY: THREE ROCK Rovers gained their revenge on the Monkstown side which knocked them out of the Irish Senior Cup earlier in the season. Two goals, from Mitch Darling and Phelie Maguire, gave Rovers the much-needed points to keep them on top of the table. pSports digest
Today's other stories in brief p
