THURLES SARS retained their Tipperary senior hurling title in dull and damp Semple Stadium yesterday, capping off a superb year for their four Tipperary All-Ireland-winning stars, but only after a testing final few minutes against a young Clonoulty-Rossmore side that will surely come again.

CLONOULTY-ROSSMORE claimed the spoils in this Tipperary SHC semi-final in Thurles yesterday despite having played second fiddle for long spells to a Kildangan team that has come a long way in a short time.

CLONOULTY-Rossmore captured the Tipperary Co-op Supervalu West Tipperary senior hurling championship for a fourth successive year with a comfortable nine-point victory over Éire Óg Annacarty at Seán Treacy Park yesterday.

ONE-WAY traffic in this, the last of the four Tipperary senior hurling quarter-finals played in Semple Stadium at the weekend, as champions Toomevara continued their well-timed run towards retaining their title.

TWELVE months ago Kilkenny ousted Tipperary by eight points in the All-Ireland MHC semi-final and all the signs point to a repeat when the sides convene for another minor hurling showdown in Croke Park tomorrow at noon.

Both Cork and Tipperary managements have announced their sides ahead of tomorrow's Munster Minor Hurling Championship semi-final replay at Semple Stadium, Thurles.

GAA chiefs yesterday announced that the country’s lesser lights are set to take centre stage in Croke Park on July 4th, with the fixing of the Christy Ring, Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher Cup deciders.

AFTER a lifetime of service on the playing fields, Brian Lohan has turned his attention to management.

Birmingham remain at the top of the Coca-Cola Championship after a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Toomevara 0-17 Loughmore-Castleiney 0-13

Clonoulty-Rossmore 0-17 Thurles Sarsfields 1-14

TIPPERARY were denied a possible third All-Ireland minor hurling title in a row by a ruthless Kilkenny side who produced one of the most impressive displays seen for quite some time in Croke Park in the first of the All-Ireland MHC semi-finals.

Gardaí have named the man who died in a road accident in Co Tipperary on Thursday.

Swansea midfielder Thomas Butler made Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock pay the price for fielding an understrength side as the Blades crashed out of the FA Cup.

Hartlepool 2 Sheffield Wednesday 4 (after extra-time)

ON January 25 last Thomas Butler from Freshford and I went down to the tail of the Pococke river. The site was sickening. Even though the visibility was not great due to a recent flood, we videoed 15 dead fish. All the hen fish were in full spawn.

SUNDERLAND have broken their silence over the departure last season of Irish winger Thomas Butler.

Sunderland have finally broken their silence over the departure last season of Irish international winger Thomas Butler.

A Corkman accused of murder allegedly admitted to gardaí to killing a man with an axe after the victim attempted to have sex with him, a jury heard today at the Central Criminal Court.

Sunderland midfielder Colin Healy was today due to undergo surgery to repair his broken leg.

WEXFORD linen rental firm Celtic Linen has seen its profits fall buy nearly third despite a rise in turnover, according to its latest annual accounts.

Stephen Elliott, the hat-trick hero of the Republic of Ireland’s 5 - 1 victory over Poland in Gdansk in August, retains his place in Don Givens’ squad of eighteen players he has named for the European 2004 Under-21 Championship qualifier against Switzerland in Neuchatel on Friday, October 10, 2003 (kick-off 6pm, 5pm Irish time).

Don Givens hailed tonight’s 2-0 victory over Russia as one of the highlights of his reign in charge of the Republic of Ireland Under-21s.

Republic of Ireland U21 2 Russia U21 0

Republic of Ireland U21 0 Russia U21 0

Republic of Ireland U21 manager Don Givens has a full strength squad to choose from for Friday’s European Championship qualification clash with Russia in Waterford (6pm).

Manchester City striker Stephen Elliott retains his place in the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad for next week’s European Championship qualifier against Russia.

Garda divers have recovered the body of a 42-year-old fisherman who has been missing since going swimming in the River Barrow in Co Carlow on Monday.

Sunderland’s record signing Tore Andre Flo scored his first goal in almost seven months – and there was no-one there to see it.

Republic of Ireland U-21 1

THE captivating skill of the talented Damien Duff has never been more important to Ireland, according to team-mate Kevin Kilbane, as he looked ahead to Saturday’s European Championship tie against Albania at Lansdowne Road.

Sunderland midfielder Thomas Butler’s season could be over after a scan revealed a tear in his calf muscle.

Thomas Butler has been forced to pull out of the Republic of Ireland Under-21s squad for their back-to-back European Championship qualifiers in Georgia and Albania.

Don Givens has made two additions to the Republic of Ireland under-21 squad for the European 2004 Championship qualifiers against Georgia and Albania in a fortnight’s time.

MICK MCCARTHY looks set to be unveiled as the new manager of Sunderland today.

CELTIC star Shaun Maloney and Simon Lynch piled the agony on the Republic of Ireland at Rugby Park last night – just hours after the news of Roy Keane’s international retirement.

Shaun Maloney gave Martin O’Neill more evidence he could fill Henrik Larsson’s sizeable boots at Celtic with a stunning strike in the Scotland Under-21s’ win over Ireland tonight.

DON GIVENS will hand at least four players their first U21 international caps when Ireland play Scotland tonight in a friendly match at Kilmarnock in preparation for next month’s European Championship.

Manager Don Givens has retained Shelbourne’s Wesley Hoolahan in his squad of 18 for Ireland’s U21 friendly match against Scotland at Kilmarnock’s ground at Rugby Park on Tuesday, February 11.

A Texas university professor has been arrested for triggering a terror alert after claiming that 30 vials of bubonic plague were missing when he knew that they had, in fact, been destroyed.

Jason McAteer will be out of action for a further two months after undergoing a second hernia operation over the weekend.

Sunderland reserve coach Ricky Sbragia has left the club to take up a new position with Manchester United.

Ireland caretaker manager Don Givens has recalled Stephen Carr, Richard Dunne and Mark Kennedy to the Ireland squad for next month's friendly clash with Greece in Athens.