Sports Digest/MEN'S HOCKEY: The All-Ireland Club Championship final at Belfield on May 28th will be an all-Leinster affair after Glenanne and Pembroke Wanderers successfully battled through the play-offs to top their pools over the weekend, writes Mary Hannigan.
Glenanne needed a victory by a margin of three goals over Lisnagarvey in their final game yesterday if they were to pip Church of Ireland, with whom they drew 1-1 on Saturday, to first place in Pool A - and a 3-0 victory is precisely what they produced.
Nasir Munir and Stephen Butler put them 2-0 ahead in the first half before Graham Shaw scored the decisive third goal in the second.
Pembroke, meanwhile, killed off Banbridge's hopes of reaching the final. They beat the tournament's surprise package 2-0, with goals from Justin Sherriff and Gordon Elliott, but then had to endure a nervy 70 minutes watching Cork Harlequins chase the three-goal victory over Annadale that would have seen the Munster champions overtake Pembroke at the top of the pool.
Midway through the second half Harlequins' target was in sight but, having led 2-1, they were twice caught out by Annadale as they pressed for further goals, ending up losing the game 3-2.
Defending champions Lisnagarvey's miserable tournament was made complete by that defeat by Glenanne, their third of the weekend, while Ulster champions Annadale bowed out on Saturday when they could only draw with Banbridge.
Cork Harlequins, pre-tournament favourites in many people's books, finished bottom of pool B, their only win ironically coming against Pembroke on Saturday.
Victory for Delahaye
CYCLING: Usher IRC rider Neill Delahaye raced to a solo victory in the Noel Hammond Memorial in Ballyboughal, north County Dublin. He went clear of a breakaway group on the final lap, finishing well clear of MyHome.ie Cycleways rider Stephen O'Sullivan and Bill Moore (Stamullen M Donnelly).
In Dungarvan, Ciarán Power won the Kelly Pharmacy GP ahead of Michael Hennessy (Fermoy) and Micheal Fitzgerald (Ballymore Cobh).
Italian rider Ivan Basso (Team CSC) c was best on yesterday's first mountain-top finish in the Tour of Italy.
Second for Capstick
EQUESTRIAN: Carriage driver Barry Capstick posted the best result of the weekend for Ireland's equestrians when finishing second in the Windsor pairs Grand Prix yesterday. The 49-year-old finished 1.8 penalties adrift of Swiss winner Beat Schenk in a 79-starter field.
On the show jumping circuit, Cameron Hanley was highest placed of the Irish in yesterday's Copenhagen Grand Prix, slotting into fourth behind Swiss winner Markus Fuchs.
Jessica Kürten claimed fourth in the two-phase at the German show in Aselage yesterday with Castle Forbes Vivaldo.
