Sports Digest/ ATHLETICS: Kelly Proper from Ferrybank Athletic Club in Waterford yesterday broke her national senior indoor long-jump record when winning her event at the Celtic Indoor International in Cardiff.
The multi-talented Waterford athlete jumped 6.32 metres to break her own record of 6.28m set in the Woodie's DIY National Indoor Championships in Belfast last weekend. Proper also won the guest invitational 60 metres in 7.7 seconds.
She will now compete in the British AAA championships in Sheffield next weekend.
It was a good weekend for other Irish athletes in Cardiff, where Barry Pender of St Abban's AC won the high jump with 2.14 metres - to qualify for the World Junior Track and Field Championships in Poland this Summer. That effort also earned Pender the "athlete of the meeting" award.
Brian Gregan of Tallaght AC won the 400 metres in 48.59 seconds and Niamh Whelan of Ferrybank AC won her 60-metre sprint in 7.7 seconds.
There was success for two Irish 4x400m relay squads, the men's team of Gordon Kennedy, Jonathan Miller, Joe Warne and Kevin McCloy winning in 3.17.20 and the women's team of Bronagh Furlong, Jessica Zebo, Christina Broderick and Marian Andrews clocking 3.49.47 to win their event.
Peter Coghlan won a 60-metre hurdles race in Budapest, and James Nolan qualified for the World Indoor Championships in Seville by clocking 3:41.6 for 1,500 metres in Stuggart.
CRICKET: All-rounder Shaun Pollock said yesterday he was at peace with his decision to retire from international cricket.
The 34-year-old scored the winning runs in South Africa's eight-wicket victory over West Indies in Johannesburg, to clinch a 5-0 series clean-sweep in his last match for his country.
"It's been a fantastic journey for me but retiring is all good. I have real peace about it," said Pollock, who was named joint man of the series with the South African batsman JP Duminy.
TENNIS: China confirmed themselves as a new tennis force by reaching the Fed Cup semi-finals for the first time with a 3-2 victory over France in Beijing yesterday. The former Wimbledon and Australian Open doubles champions Zheng Jie and Yan Zi beat France's Virginie Razzano and Nathalie Dechy 7-5 7-6, after world number 32 Li Na and number 52 Peng Shuai had won their opening singles rubbers on Saturday.
China meet the five-times champions Spain in the semi-finals on April 26th.
In Tel Aviv the defending champions, Russia, completed a 4-1 victory over unfancied Israel and will meet the winners of the tie between the 17-times champions USA and Germany.
EQUESTRIAN SPORTS: Ireland's Billy Twomey and Jessica Kürten failed to feature in the placings of Saturday's World Cup qualifier at Bordeaux, won by Gerco Schroeder and Eurocommerce Milano for the Netherlands, but finished second and fourth respectively in the afternoon's jump-off class, writes Margie McLoone.
Eleven combinations got through to the timed round but 31-year-old Twomey, on board the stallion Pikap, just could not peg back Ludger Beerbaum and Goldfever, going down to the Germany pairing by one second.
Kürten rode Castle Forbes Lord Lancer into fourth spot.
