Take care with your single payment application. It has landed a lot of farmers in trouble. Denis Lehane reports some case studies

Willie Mullins continued his fine run of success when taking the two big races at Gowran Park.

THE large attendance from West Cork at this week’s National Ploughing Championships was thrilled with the performance of its team in the 21 ploughing competitions at the centre of the event.

TWO communities — in Cork and Cavan — are buzzing with speculation about the owners of two tickets which won just over €7 million each in the weekend Lotto draw.

GARRYOWEN took full advantage of Cork Con’s slip-up at Blackrock College by surging to the top of the AIB All-Ireland League with a 45-7 demolition of Ballymena.

Willie Mullins is responsible for 13 entries as he seeks to land the Weatherbys Champion Bumper for an incredible seventh time at the Cheltenham Festival.

IT is important in today’s environment to encourage and recognise people who are providing leadership in their own communities, Macra na Feirme president Catherine Buckley has stressed.

BLACKROCK COLLEGE exacted revenge for last season’s AIB All-Ireland Cup final defeat to Shannon with a thrilling 41-27 win at Stradbrook on Saturday.

CHAMPIONS Shannon will face Shane Byrne’s Blackrock College in the AIB Cup second round in a repeat of last season’s final.

A EUROPEAN firm could be running Ireland’s national lottery licence from 2011.

THE Leinster squad to face Edinburgh in the opening game of the Magners League season in the RDS on Saturday (5.30pm) has been named.

Cup holders Garryowen will have to wait until the second round to make an impression in the AIB Cup when they will travel to Lansdowne.

Today's AIB League Division One match between Dublin University v County Carlow has been postponed due to an unplayable pitch at College Park.

IT was hard not to feel sorry for Co Carlow at Thomond Park on Saturday when a late Shannon try, giving them a 25-12 win, deprived the Leinster side even a bonus point in their third-last match in Division One of the AIB All-Ireland League.

Shannon 25 County Carlow 12

THE AIB All-Ireland League may have lost its appeal for all but the most dedicated club followers.

By Barry Coughlan

County Carlow 19 Belfast Harlequins 28

Galwegians 52 County Carlow 10

CLONTARF powered to the top of the AIB League’s Division One with a great victory over Garryowen at Castle Avenue.

The team's for this weekend's AIL games have been announced.

Co Carlow 21 Buccaneers 23

Offaly football skipper and International Rules star Ciaran McManus is set to switch codes to rugby for the off-season.

Ballymena 32 Co Carlow 10

Co Carlow 6 Clontarf 11

Co Carlow 10 Garryowen 24

Co Carlow 13 Belfast Harlequins 24

TWO WEEKS ago in this column, I referred to a crucial meeting of the representatives of the AIL Division One clubs to present their vision for the future of club rugby in this country.

Willie Mullins today confirmed that Florida Pearl has emerged fit and well from his historic victory at Leopardstown yesterday and will now bid to win the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup at the fourth attempt.

Frankie Sheahan, try-scoring Heineken Cup man-of-the-match in Saturday’s heroic 35-14 defeat of Gloucester, has been withdrawn from the Munster side to face Treviso tomorrow evening at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo, due to a knee complaint.

Argentina and Leinster out-half Felipe Contepomi has been diagnosed with a broken bone in his ankle by the Leinster medical team and will be out of rugby for three to six weeks, it has been confirmed this afternoon.

Shannon 20 Co Carlow 11

Co Carlow 14 Cork Con 16

Carlow 16 Ballymena 26

IT’S derby day in the AIB League, especially down south where Munster’s division one sides are in direct opposition.

De La Salle Palmerston and Co Carlow booked their places in the final of the Leddin Finance Leinster Senior Cup yesterday.

Co Carlow 36 St. Mary's College 6

Dolphin 24 St Mary’s 18

Blackrock take on Co Carlow in their opening AIB All-Ireland League match tomorrow, having had a bye in the competition last weekend.

IRISH rugby is not the preserve of the traditional areas like Dublin, Cork, Belfast and Limerick. There is a place in the game for everybody, or at least there should be in spite of the campaign to get rid of Connacht, and anybody disputing that point of view ought to have been at Thomond Park on Saturday.

Co Carlow retained their Division One status for next season with a 41-26 victory over UL/Bohemians in a 10-try thriller at Thomond Park.

AIB League Division One results

There are a number of positions being decided today in the AIB All-Ireland League and there will be great interest in the latter periods after the opening halves.