Doubles pairing cheer Cahill

Ireland Davis Cup boss Garry Cahill will take considerable encouragement from Saturday’s excellent performance of his doubles pairing ahead of the relegation play-off against Egypt in Dublin on April 4-6.

For various reasons, Cahill was without his top three ranked players, James McGee, Louk Sorensen and Sam Barry, for the Europe-Africa Zone Group Two first round tie against Belarus in Minsk over the weekend.

But, pitted against the powerful home duo of Max Mirnyi and Alexander Bury, the first-time partnership of James Cluskey and David O’Hare gave an unexpectedly good account of themselves in the indoor hardcourt contest.