It’s fairly safe to assume that if Kathy Switzer was running her first Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, she would have been held back from finishing, with thousands of others.

If he’s watching from the great hurling field in the sky, Tom Semple is surely smiling.

Today’s Division 1B clash at Annacotty was plodding along in a somewhat tedious manner until a three-try blitz in a seven-minute spell pushed Ballymena out of sight and on their way to a 30-13 success.

A converted try fourteen minutes into the second half gave Buccaneers a tight 12-8 victory over Division 1B rivals UL Bohemian at Annacotty.

GARDA Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the investigations into possible fraud at the state-owned Anglo Irish Bank have led to a series of “complex investigations”.

Steve Donohoe’s 800-mile trek around the UK was well rewarded when Ensnare gave him his third winner in 36 hours in the totesuper7 Handicap at Ayr.

n engineer has given evidence at the trial of a man accused of stabbing another in the abdomen causing his intestines to protrude from his body, that lighting conditions at the scene were "very dark".

IS MICHAEL SEMPLE a spy or just a fall guy?

A DIPLOMAT paid €10,000 a month from the Irish Aid budget last night denied he was expelled from Afghanistan for being a spy.

AN IRISH senior EU official and a British UN representative left Afghanistan yesterday after the government ordered their expulsion, accusing them of holding talks with the Taliban and for paying cash to the group.

ONE of the most senior Irish diplomats working overseas has been given until today to get out of Afghanistan, because of contacts he made with anti-government factions.

Ian Semple looks like bowing out in a blaze of glory as his training career comes to an end.

Jamie Spencer brought his red-hot form to Doncaster and posted a classy victory aboard Michael Stoute’s Floristry in the six-furlong Coral Trophy.

Ian Semple is looking forward to saddling Ouninpohja for the first time in Saturday’s totepool August Stakes at Windsor.

Appalachian Trail will attempt to justify an entry in next month’s totesport Ayr Gold Cup when he runs over six furlongs for the first time in his 32-race career at Newmarket on Saturday.

Big Timer continued his rapid progress with his third win on the bounce in the Symphony Group Acomb Stakes on the opening day of the Ebor Festival at York.

David Barron has the Ayr Gold Cup on his mind after Rising Shadow landed the feature race on Ripon’s traditional Children’s Day, the Armstrong Memorial Handicap.

David Nicholls limbered up for his assault on the totesport Ayr Gold Cup by winning the consolation race for the fourth time in the last eight years when Machinist burst clear to score in style at the Scottish track.

SOME day Cork and Waterford will play out a dull, bloodless affair, a matter of politeness and etiquette. Some day.

Scotty’s Future is the new favourite with the sponsors at 13-2 for the William Hill Mile at Goodwood tomorrow following the news that long-time market leader Demonstrate will miss the race.