For all the big crowds and big names that will descend upon his home place in the coming days, you may not have heard about Pat Duffy’s premature passing last weekend.

Gerry Fitzpatrick has been one of Ireland’s leading, if unsung, sports operators for over four decades. From hoops to hurling, from training Henry and Mullane to watching Shaq in the flesh, he’s seen a lot, if not it all. Now, he’s playing his part in the Wexford hurling revival.

Padraig Gibbons has been re-elected chairman of Connacht Gold, the €400m multi-purpose co-operative.

DOUGLAS hurling manager Pat Duffy accepts his side did well to pip Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) by an extra-time point in last weekend’s Cork SHC quarter-final, but as he says, they can’t live on last week’s dinner.

Shamrock Rovers Hoops Basketball Club has today announced that it is to withdraw from the Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague for the 2010/11 season due to financial constraints.

LIAM McHALE is to make a long-awaited return to top-flight Irish basketball in a bid to aid Merry Monk Ballina’s challenge for SuperLeague glory.

A child born in Galway in January has a better chance of becoming a top sportsman or woman than someone born in Dublin later in the year, it emerged today.

IRISH children aspiring to become top performers in sport are more likely to be born early in the year and come from rural areas or smaller towns.

THE Director of the National Coaching and Training Centre, Dr Pat Duffy, is to leave the post later this year.

THE Athletic Association of Ireland (AAI) last night agreed that the democratic nature of the organisation will be preserved no matter what changes take place with the implementation of the long-awaited strategic plan.

Pat Devlin has named the 18-man squad which will represent Ireland at this month's four nations semi-professional tournament in Aberdeen, Scotland from May 18 to 26.

PAT DEVLIN’S tireless service to Bray Wanderers has been rewarded with the respected coach being named as manager of an U21 eircom league selection that will participate in a Four Nations tournament in Aberdeen next month.

THE ESB Superleague finals will return to the spiritual home of Irish basketball next week in the plush surroundings of The Mardyke Arena, Cork's newest centre.

THERE is no physical reason why Sonia O’Sullivan should not go to next year’s Olympic Games in Athens as a medal contender according to the world’s leading expert in long term player/athlete development.

JOHN O’REGAN has a vision. The secretary of the Kerry District Soccer League is adamant that the Kingdom will have a team competing in the eircom League within two years.

TEACHERS with coaching qualifications should be paid if they coach pupils or students after school hours, according to former world champion Eamonn Coghlan.

Brendan McGovern went on the birdie trail at Castle Hume to win the £12,000 Ulster Lakeland Classic.