What with the Olympic Games and the Lions Tour, it hasn't been very easy for sportspeople from this part of the world to achieve any level of sporting dominance in Australia in recent times. And, for the most part, Sydney has been an especially barren area.

So it is nice to be able to report an exception- in golf. Everyone's favourite saxophonist, Paddy Cole, has been telling me about the exploits of a club colleague of his from Castle GC. Off a handicap of 5, Fred Jones - son of Castle's Robin Jones - who is currently working in Sydney, won the two-stage president's prize at the Pemble GC recently, with net scores of 68 and 74.

Meanwhile the bould Paddy, who plays off 14, has been busy this week preparing for a major, Blooom Cup confrontation with Ballinascorney at Castle. "b I'm practising lie hell, but I'm not improving," he said, somewhat deflated. Ah, there's always the music.