Sport

Belfield to host 2005 Euro women's finals

Sports Digest: The European Hockey Federation announced yesterday Belfield will host the 2005 women's European Championships…

Wed Feb 11 2004 - 00:00

Sports Digest: The European Hockey Federation announced yesterday Belfield will host the 2005 women's European Championships (A division), writes Mary Hannigan.

Belfield will also host this year's under-21 women's European Championships in July.

Dates and pool draws for the tournament have yet to be announced but, having qualified for the A division by finishing sixth in last year's finals in Barcelona, Ireland will host European champions Holland, Spain, Germany, England, Ukraine, Scotland and France, with a top-six finish guaranteeing a place in 2007s A division.

Ireland's men, who were relegated to the B division last September, will travel to Italy for the European Nations Trophy, which will be staged in Rome; Leipzig, Germany, will host the men's A division. The men, who finished ninth in Barcelona, will be hopeful of promotion to 2007s A division, with the top two in Rome taking the place of the bottom two in Leipzig.

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Meanwhile the Irish women's senior team have lost their latest game in Argentina, where they are preparing for next month's Olympic Qualifier, going down 4-0 to Korea, ranked sixth in the world. Ireland play Argentina's B team in Cordoba today.

IRELAND (v Korea): A Platt; C O'Brien, K Maybin, N Symmons, F Connery, L Caulfield, J Orbinson, J Burke, E Cregan, J McDonough, L McVicker (capt). Subs used: K Farrell, N McCaughern, B McKeever, S Beaney, D Casey, N King.

CYCLING: Hibernian Team Ireland-rider David McCann yesterday moved up two places to 11th overall in the Tour de Langkawi with a determined ride in the fifth stage time trial in the city of Melaka. McCann finished 14th on the wind-buffeted 18 km test, 57 seconds behind stage winner Eric Wohlberg of Canada, writes Shane Stokes.

The Belfastman's fine performance sees him move to within one second of place in the top 10 in the general classification. New race leader Marlon Perez is two minutes and four seconds ahead of the Irish amateur.

Perez, a recognised mountain climber, surprised many when he stormed around the flat course yesterday to post the second fastest time.