Further easing in lamb prices at factories this week has disappointed sheep farmers, continuing a downward price trend for a third consecutive week.

Meath prevented a quartet of college sides advancing to the Bord Na Mona Kehoe Cup semi-finals, with St Pat's, Drumcondra, Trinity College and GMIT also victorious, while Fingal were winners in the Kehoe Shield.

Westmeath, Laois, Wexford and UCD all gained wins in the Bord na Mona Walsh Cup this weekend, while their was a quartet of victories for college sides in the Kehoe Cup.

THE upward price trend in the lamb trade has been maintained this week.

GAA director general Páraic Duffy yesterday insisted that the GAA decision to fix Saturday week’s Christy Ring Cup semi-finals at neutral venues “is the right one” despite annoyance from the Kerry and Kildare camps.

KERRY GAA chiefs are to employ former AFL star Tadhg Kennelly as a coach.

Marts: Eight factories increased the prices paid for cattle for last week’s kill in a partial reversal of the sharp decline in the return to producers the previous week as the downturn in supplies continued.

Marts: The upward trend in beef prices has been maintained, but the pace of change has eased to an average gain of 1c/kg, with the price variation between processors for similar stock offering the best opportunity for gains by producers.

Mayo 2-14 Westmeath 2-13, Castlebar

Marts: Factories paid 5c-7c/kg (2p/lb) more for cattle, under pressure to get sufficient stock last week, as producers held out for higher returns before parting with animals.

Marts: An increase of 7c/kg (2p/lb) in the average price being paid by the factories for cattle has maintained the strong upward trend in returns for producers.

Almost half of the factories paid less for R4L bullocks for last week's kill after a surge in supply to the highest weekly intake of bullocks in 2007 and the highest for the corresponding week since 2003.

THREE-MONTH analysis of the prices paid to farmers for beef animals shows that the margin of difference between factories for R4L bullocks was less than half of that for R4L heifers around the country.

Marts: Beef prices have made further gains to maintain parity with last year for bullocks and edge slightly higher than 2006 for heifers as the recovery of the market continues.

As prices continued unchanged last week, returns for the first five weeks of 2007 show a narrowing of the price range for beef animals at the factories to less than 6 cents/kg (2p/lb) dividing the highest and the lowest.

There was very little movement in beef prices at most of the factories last week.

Marts: Beef prices gained 2c/kg at the factories last week, setting an autumn record of rising prices for eight consecutive weeks which brought the average R-grade price to almost 105p/lb.

Kerry failed to hang onto a goal lead early in the second half as Wicklow pinched a 0-15 to 2-07 victory over the Kingdom in Section 2B of the Christy Ring Cup.

Marts: While a few factories increased prices for R4L bullocks by almost 3 cents/kg (1p/lb), one-in-three factories paid lower returns or maintained the previous weeks level as processors reacted to the rising trend last week.

GAA: TODAY'S RESULTS -

Holders NUI Galway have been drawn to face Leitrim in the quarter-finals of the 2006 irelandwestairport.com Connacht Hurling Cup.

THE All-Ireland Féile na nGael festival of hurling got off to the best possible start in glorious weather throughout Cork city and county yesterday.

Sheep farmers have reached agreement with the Irish Country Meats Group over prices for their produce.

ALLIANZ NHL DIVISION ONE SEMI-FINALS:

KILKENNY will be without key player Sinead Millea for Sunday’s National League crunch tie against Galway having broken her finger in their drawn encounter with Tipperary two weeks ago.

FITZGERALD STADIUM, Killarney was yesterday named as the venue for the meeting of Castlehaven and An Ghaeltacht in the semi-final of the AIB Munster club SFC on Sunday week next.