The story of a small hurling club's ups and downs has been named as Sports Book of the Year, beating the autobiography of one of Ireland's greatest footballers.

Graeme McDowell won the Ryder Cup for Europe after a Celtic Manor classic that crowned captain Colin Montgomerie's golfing career.

The goalkeepers will be key to tomorrow's club semi-final, says Diarmuid O'Flynn.

A COUPLE of weeks ago, a new GAA book hit the shelves. Last Man Standing by Christy O'Connor features a series of brutally honest interviews with several of the best hurling goalkeepers in the game.

World number one Annika Sorenstam launched the main European attack on American youngsters Paula Creamer and Christina Kim after a second round 66 in the Evian Masters in France yesterday.

FIFTEEN YEAR-OLD West of Ireland champion Rory McIlroy has been selected to compete in the Nissan Irish Open Championship at Carton House Golf Club next month.

IAN WOOSNAM and Nick Faldo should hold the European Ryder Cup captaincy in 2006 and 2008 respectively.

CHRISTY O’CONNOR Snr has been accorded honorary life membership of the European Tour.

ANY of the five European rookies seeking advice from “veteran” Darren Clarke this week will be told to “get to the toilet early before you play on the first day”.

Sports editor Tony Leen was so impressed by Headfort’s new layout in Kells, he was not going to tell anyone. Now the secret’s out ...

THE prospects of an Irish captain for the European team in the 2006 Ryder Cup at The K-Club may improve given the precedent set by Bernhard Langer for the September clash with the Americans at Oakland Hills.

WITH the race for places in Europe's Ryder Cup team now past the halfway stage, captain Bernhard Langer still has plenty of questions to be answered ahead of September's Oakland Hills showdown.

BRAVING the freezing rain to soak up some free sun are a hardy bunch of bargain-hunters whose main problem just now is keeping their feet warm.

Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle have declared interest in captaining the European team at the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club in Co Kildare.

THE importance of wearing seat belts and observing drink driving laws was highlighted yesterday, following an inquest into the deaths of three men in a one-car crash in early January.

THE memory of Connacht rugby player and all-round sports fanatic Dr Joe Costello will be honoured on Friday when a galaxy of sporting stars gather at Galway Golf Club.

PAUL McGINLEY yesterday joined a long list of Irish men who have played crucial parts in Ryder Cup victories.

Japans Noboru Sugai won the British Seniors' Championship at Royal County Down today but didn't have the big margin of victory it seemed he would have earlier in the day.

Noboru Sugai from Japan has taken a firm grip on the MasterCard British Seniors' Open Championship at Royal County Down.

Shock leader after the first round in the MasterCard British Seniors' Championship at Royal County Down is Noburo Sugai from Japan.

Golf legend Tom Watson will play competitively for the first time in Ireland when he tees-up in the MasterCard British Seniors' Championship at Royal County Down in July.

Seve Ballesteros spoke in glowing terms about Ireland and the Irish people at the PGA Irish Region Centenary Banquet in the Burlington Hotel.