Previous Day
Heskey strikes at heart of Chelsea
SOCCER FA PREMIER LEAGUE - Chelsea 1 Wigan 1: IT
HAD been billed as the archetypal home banker. Chelsea's trip to
Everton on Thursday night would see their every sinew stretched
ahead of the mouthwatering showdown against Manchester United on
Saturday week, but lowly Wigan Athletic? p
Season ticket holders snap up allocation
RUGBY EUROPEAN CUP SEMI-FINALS: SARACENS HAVE satisfied the demand from season ticket holders who were given preference for Sunday week's Heineken Cup semi-final against Munster at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. p
Galway salute second Canning
GAELIC GAMES NEWS: GALWAY'S HOPES of winning their
first All-Ireland hurling title in 20 years have received another
huge boost with Ollie Canning returning to the squad. p
Golf
Timing of Immelman coup the only shock
US Masters: WITH ONE deed, his life changed.
Forever. Yesterday morning, Trevor Immelman woke up as a major
champion.
Philip Reid Golf Correspondent reports from
Augusta pHarrington happy to make no major changes
LEARNING; ALWAYS learning. In bygone days, a fifth-place finish in a major would have had Padraig Harrington, to use a cliché, over the moon. Not any longer. Now, as a major winner, all that matters is winning. pWorth making a song and dance about Amen Corner
CADDIE'S ROLE/COLIN BYRNE: NO SOONER had the commentator Nick Faldo given the background to why we were looking at Justin Rose perform at such a high level in Augusta, Georgia, on Friday evening during the second round than doubt and confusion crept into Rose's carefully planned strategy. pNothing fake about simulation game
Philip Reid gets to play the 18th at Pebble Beach,
the 17th at Valderrama, and tackle the notorious Oakmont Country
Club within hours . . . indoors pPsst, anyone got a signed golf ball by Ralph Guldahl?
GOLFING MEMORABILIA: In the second of his series, Gary Moran focuses on the allure of items associated with the US Masters pA round and about
Stephen Hunt Reading and Republic of Ireland soccer player and 11-handicap golfer pThe Short Game
A round-up of today's other golf stories in brief... p
Pattern of results is bad news for league
EMMET MALONE ON SOCCER: It is obvious the Irish game is now going down the path of its English counterpart pO'Flynn ends deadlock
SETANTA CUP Cork City 2 Cliftonville 0: CORK CITY went joint top of Group One with a hard-fought win at Turner's Cross last night. The visitors held out for a long time, but with just over a quarter of an hour remaining John O'Flynn, followed soon by Dave Mooney, grabbed a deserved three points. pDrogheda too strong
Dungannon Swifts 0 Drogheda United 4: SETANTA CUP holders Drogheda United coasted to victory at Stangmore Park last night. First-half strikes from Tony Grant and Graham Gartland, and an Adam McMinn own goal in the second, made it a comfortable evening for Paul Doolin's side. pPat's have their work cut out to halt Linfield juggernaut
WITH THEIR 48th league title all but in the bag after the weekend, Linfield travel to Dublin for this evening's Setanta Sports Cup game at Richmond Park without highly-rated right back Jim Ervin, who will have to embark on the long and difficult road back to recovery after suffering a cruciate ligament injury against Glentoran. pFerguson's side has not yet proved to be really above fray
NEWS ROUND-UP: JUST HOW good are Manchester United? There have been times this season when that sentence might have ended instead with an adulatory exclamation mark. pSoccer Shorts
A round-up of today's other soccer stories in brief... p
Contepomi a calming influence on Sexton
MAGNERS LEAGUE: IT'S BECOME a familiar enquiry for
Jonathan Sexton yet he still struggles to articulate precisely the
influence that Felipe Contepomi has had on his career. Sure, he can
offer instances of support and advice, but the young Leinster
outhalf can not synopsize the impact that the Argentine has on him
as a player. pWales union not in favour of key Lions post for Gatland
THE WELSH Rugby Union have made it clear they would not be happy for Warren Gatland to be named head coach if the call came from the Lions' committee. WRU chief executive Roger Lewis insists the job would impinge on Gatland's Wales role. pPlay-offs could be designed to work in Magners League
A reluctance to embrace the concept of play-offs perhaps betrays an innate conservatism in Irish rugby, writes GERRY THORNLEY p
Gearing up for a culture clash
NEWS ROUND-UP: SATURDAY'S DECISION by congress to make the wearing of helmets compulsory for all hurlers by 2010 will create difficulties for the small number of players who have hurled throughout their senior careers without wearing the protective headgear. pClash with Munster rugby unlikely
THE CENTRAL Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) of the GAA have indicated they will try to avoid fixing the National Football League Division One final between Kerry and Derry in a direct clash with the Munster-Saracens European Cup rugby semi-final. pExtra qualifier ties have little impact
THE BIGGEST surprise of the GAA's annual congress in Sligo was the overwhelming decision of delegates to reverse the decision of October 2006's special congress and readmit Division Four counties to the All-Ireland qualifier series. p
Nownownow heading for Newmarket
NEWS ROUND-UP: THE BREEDERS' Cup winner Nownownow is set to have his first start for Irish trainer David Wachman in the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas next month. pColeman has ban reduced, but is fined
TURF CLUB APPEAL: THE GALWAY Plate-winning jockey Kevin Coleman had his record, 50-day "non-trier" ban reduced to 28 days at the Turf Club Appeals body yesterday. pNatagora France's top hope
1,000 GUINEAS: NATAGORA, France's top hope for the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, produced everything her connections expected in winning her prep-race at Maisons-Laffitte. p
Sports Digest
A round-up of today's other sports stories in brief... p
