Dublin might be waiting to take on Kerry in Sunday’s All Ireland Football final but it was a Mayo man who was beaming brightly at Carton House yesterday as Royal Dublin ended their 47-year wait for victory in the AIG Barton Shield.

It was a bad day for Munster golf as Muskerry and Douglas crashed out in their respective semi-finals of the AIG Cups and Shields National Finals at Carton House.

It’s like the Champions League of golf but unlike the continent’s premier football tournament which has yet to be retained by any club, Muskerry’s Niall Gorey is hopeful the Cork club can become the first back-to-back winners of the AIG Barton Shield for 18 years.

There will be a new name on the cup at the Radisson-sponsored West of Ireland Golf Championship in Rosses Point this year.

Ulster and Leinster played out a thrilling tie on the opening day of the Interprovincial Championship at Lee Valley yesterday while defending champions Munster survived a few anxious moments in mid-afternoon to emerge 7 ½-3 ½ winners over Connacht.

The contestant knocked out of last night's edition of 'The Apprentice' never watched the show before.

AN overnight text from his brother, Freddie, coach to the Munster Branch, proved invaluable as Dwayne Twomey fashioned an unlikely win for Bandon over Co Sligo in yesterday’s semi-final of the Bulmers Irish Senior Cup at Castlebar.

PAT QUINLAN has suffered many disappointments in his 14 years representing Portumna in various inter-club competitions, so it was all the sweeter for the man from Ballinderry in North Tipperary that he should clinch their first Bulmers Irish Junior Cup triumph at Castlebar yesterday.

Defending champions Leinster were held 6 ½ - 6 ½ by Munster on the second day of the Golfsure sponsored Interprovincial Championships at Douglas Golf Club, while Ulster beat Connacht by 9 ½ - 3 ½ .

THE husband of an Irish pilgrim whose body was found several months after she went missing in Medjugorje has said he was not surprised that the authorities in Bosnia and Ireland were unable to determine the cause of her death.

Ulster secured an impressive victory against Connacht in the Youths Interprovincial Matches at Donegal Golf Club today.

Irish Schools Match Play Championship (National Finals)

CALLS for a new national policy for women firefighters when they become pregnant were made at a conference yesterday.

The eircom League’s Disciplinary Commission has issued their latest list of suspensions with Waterford United’s Kelvin Flanagan picking up a two-match ban.