Cavan sprang a shock with a four points Ulster SFC quarter-final victory over neighbours Monaghan at Kingspan Breffni Park.

No harm for Monaghan to remind Dublin that they have their number at these early junctures. No harm for the champions either to be told that in this season of all seasons there is going to be gristle. The physical soreness they feel today after this niggly clash will serve them well for what lies ahead.

Galway manager Kevin Walsh will pass on the opportunity to rest his marquee players for Saturday’s visit of Monaghan, according to former Farney forward Tommy Freeman.

A strange affair in Navan.

Kerry’s hard edge. What might have been considered an oxymoron in the past has never been anything but fact as long as Darren Hughes has played senior football for Monaghan.

It was a second-half cruise for Monaghan as they routed Fermanagh in an Ulster SFC preliminary round tie at Clones to set up a derby meeting with Cavan.

The securing of maximum points is the target of manager Rodrigo Pessoa as Ireland’s show jumping team begin their competitive season in the five-star Nations Cup at La Baule, France this Friday.

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A deaf victim of DoneDeal fraudster Patrick Matthews has been left “very hurt and angry” by his former flatmate’s deception.

Longford 2-13 Monaghan 1-13: Well, Monaghan can hardly say they weren’t forewarned. Twelve years ago, Denis Connerton brought an unfancied Longford outfit to Clones and plundered Monaghan’s home in the only previous championship meeting between these sides.

Monaghan 2-22 Down 0-9: So much for the ultra-competitive Ulster championship.

Show jumper Billy Twomey pocketed €30,000 yesterday when he won the Hamburg Derby in Germany on Diaghilev.

As a retired high school teacher it should come as no surprise that Barney McAleenan has his homework done. Thoroughly done, at that.

Monaghan 0-13 Down 0-11: Monaghan just about held out in a frenetic finish to make it two wins from two outings but they were pushed all the way by a resurgent Down who were a transformed side from their opening weekend drubbing by Donegal.

DCU 6-14 Athlone IT 1-7: Monaghan’s Shane Carey fired a brilliant 3-6 as holders Dublin City University made a strong statement of their intention to capture back-to-back Sigerson Cup titles for the first time.

Irish show jumpers are making their mark at the $9m, 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida, with Richie Moloney third in Saturday’s grand prix and Darragh Kenny racing to victory in a speed class.

Ulster Club SFC final - Crossmaglen (Armagh) 2-17 Scotstown (Monaghan) 2-12 (AET): The nature of this game thankfully didn’t tally with the chilly conditions in which it was played. At times, it was combustible, sometimes bordering on the dangerous, but always captivating.

Mayo show jumper Alex Duffy shared first place in the six-bar class at Mechelen, Belgium, at the weekend.

Ballinderry (Derry) 1-08 Scotstown (Monaghan) 0-10

Chaos broke out at a children’s variety show at the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin following a suspected pepper spray attack on audience members, a court has heard.

Scotstown 2-16 Clontibret 0-07

10 teams are celebrating County Senior Football title wins this evening, after today's finals in Cork, Kildare, Galway, Westmeath, Monaghan, Offaly, Cavan, Tyrone, Carlow and Sligo.

Austin O’Connor believes the Irish team selected for the eventing nations cup at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen next week is not without potential.

Swiss-based show jumper Niall Talbot won the grand prix in Lisbon yesterday with Nicos de la Cense to round off a successful weekend for the Irish in the Portuguese capital.

Sarah Ennis was typically determined yesterday as she aimed to turn around a disappointing dressage score with BLM Diamond Delux in the feature CCI three-star at Tattersalls Horse Trials.

Despite the successes achieved last year, Ireland show jumping manager Robert Splaine was yesterday in no mood for talking up his squad’s chances in this year’s Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Series.

Tipperary brothers Trevor and Shane Breen were denied a one-two in the grand prix at the three-star show in Hardelot, France, yesterday.

Kildare and Longford advanced to a Leinster final, while Donegal, Derry, Down and Cavan won through to the Ulster semi-finals in the Cadbury Under-21 Football Championship today.

Limerick show jumper Shane Carey notched up a brace on Saturday at the three-star show in Villach, Austria.

Cian O'Connor brought his Olympic bronze medal winning horse Blue Loyd out for this evening's Longines Grand Prix climax to the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show, and took home €30,000 for a third place finish.

Ireland’s show jumpers are in danger of relegation from the FEI Top League after finishing last in yesterday’s Swedish Nations Cup in Falsterbo.

THE Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) yesterday said it was “not particularly happy” that show jumping had become involved in controversy again, but said the sport was not alone in gaining headlines for the wrong reasons.

Paul Beecher yesterday claimed the famous Hickstead Derby for only the 13th time for Ireland in its 52-year history.

Eventing rider Sam Watson pulled off a stunning recovery to finish eighth in the three-star at Saumur, France, yesterday.