Rugby: Former Wales captain Robert Jones has admitted his shock over claims by Allan Bateman that he was offered £5,000 to throw a Five Nations match.
Bateman, a former British Lion, alleges in his forthcoming autobiography he was approached by a prominent Welsh rugby personality on the eve of Wales' game against Ireland in 1990.
Bateman, currently with Neath, maintains he was promised the money if Wales lost the match in Dublin, but turned it down.
They subsequently lost 14-8 and therefore finished last in the Five Nations.
But Jones told the Swansea Evening Post: "I am shocked and surprised that this happened.
"The 1990 season was a whitewash campaign for us, one of the lowest points in Welsh rugby's history. There was no need for anyone to give us money to throw a game. We did not play well all season."
A Welsh Rugby Union spokesman refused to comment on the claims.
Golf: Graeme McDowell, the 22-year-old Walker Cup star has withdrawn from the Irish team for the Home Internationals at Woodhall Spa on September 12th-14th. He is replaced by former South of Ireland champion Johnny Foster of Ballyclare.
McDowell, who played in the US Amateur Championship following the Walker Cup matches, is committed to representing the University of Alabama in a Collegiate match in Tokyo in the week before the Home Internationals.
Equestrian: Ireland's team at the junior European three-day event championships in Walldorf, Germany is well in touch with the leading home side after the dressage and goes into today's cross-country just 25.4 penalties adrift, writes Grania Willis.
The quartet of Aoife Donnelly, Philippa Peters, Elizabeth Power and JP Magnier are currently in sixth of the 11 nations, but a mere 3.6 marks covers the Polish, Italian and Irish teams, with the Germans some way ahead but holding only a slender lead over Sweden and France.
Aoife Donnelly and Glencool are best of the Irish in the individual rankings, with their mark of 47.8 leaving them 13th overall after the dressage, just over 10 points off the two German individuals at the head of the 64-strong field.
Basketball: The Irish senior men face another crucial European Championship qualifying game when they take on Switzerland at the National Arena in Tallaght this evening (7.30).Two more games away to Finland and Iceland follow next week but with two teams assured of places in the semi-final rounds, the Irish have never been closer to reaching their holy grail.
Golf: Michael McHugh shot from the pack at Donagahadee to sensationally snatch the Irish Boys Amateur Close championship.
The impressive prospect from Ballinasloe outlasted fellow Connacht rival Ken Fahey of Connemara in a marathon overtime duel, winning at the fourth extra hole.
McHugh, who clinched a place in the Faldo Junior Series International finals later this year, closed the 72-holes event with a sizzling seven-birdie five-under-par 66.
McHugh finished with three threes, including two birdies, and set out a clubhouse marker of four-under-par 280.
Fahey, the first round leader with a 66 and four strokes ahead of McHugh going into the final 36 holes, suffered a costly bogey at the short 17th to card a final round of level par, and match the 280.
A three-hole stroke play-off did not resolve the deadlock, although McHugh dropped a stroke at the first hole - the par four 14th.
He recovered with par at the second, the dreaded 17th where again 18-year-old Fahey suffered a concession. The third hole was shared in par fours, and then it was back to the 14th where the unfortunate Fahey fired his drive into trouble, was stymied, hacked out and took bogey five. McHugh made a title-winning par four.
Golf: Stephen Browne is poised to strike gold in Denmark today. The 27-year-old from the Hermitage club in Dublin goes into the final round over the Odense course today five strokes clear of his nearest rival.
