As someone born and reared close to the border — just off the main road to Ennis on the banks of the Shannon in Cratloe — I grew up with first-hand experience of the Clare and Limerick rivalry.

Twins featured strongly at yesterday’s Woodie’s DIY National Junior & Under 23 Track & Field Championships in Tullamore, with the Monaghans and Nevilles sharing four medals between them.

While some fine early season sprinting and a number of exciting finishes were the highlights of the Leevale Track & Field meeting at Cork IT on Saturday, the big upset of the day came in the women’s 1500m, where European Junior silver medallist Ciara Mageean had to settle for second behind Orla Drumm.

Ireland's athletes are 10th of the 12 competing nations after the opening day's events in the European Team Championships 1st League in Izmir, Turkey.

LIAM HENNESSY, President of Athletics Ireland, was elected to the Council of European Athletics at the European Athletics Congress in London.

GRAND NATIONAL hero Tony McCoy and Brendan Mullin, a key member of the Irish rugby team that won the Triple Crown in 1985, are among those who will enjoy the privilege of partnering world number one Tiger Woods over the next two days in the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am at Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort.

A BRILLIANT day of athletics was illuminated by electrifying performances from two of Ireland’s brightest young talents, Ciara Mageean (Assumption, Ballinahinch) and Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (Coláiste Iosagain), at the Woodies DIY Irish Schools Championships in Tullamore on Saturday.

LAST year, Ciara Mageean (Assumption, Ballinahinch) took her career to a new level when she broke Sonia O’Sullivan’s long standing national junior 800m record at the Irish schools track and field championships.

IT’S still May, but it feels like Christmas for 24 lucky golfers who will tee it up with the biggest names in the game at the JP McManus Invitational pro-am in a few weeks.

PATRICK MAHER (Davis College, Mallow), who has the national junior 400m hurdles record and qualification for the world junior championships under his belt, will bid for a double in the 400m hurdles and 400m flat at the Munster Schools Championships at the CIT Track in Bishopstown on Saturday.

THE surprise inclusion of a men’s 4 x 400m relay team alongside medal hopefuls, David Gillick and Derval O’Rourke, on the Irish team for the world indoor championships in Doha (March 12, 13, 14) is aimed at the future and, in particular, this year’s European outdoor championships in Barcelona, according to team manager Patsy McGonagle.

THE defeat of champions DLS Waterford has thrown the Dr Harty Cup wide open and any of the four schools in today’s semi-finals will fancy their chances of winning the coveted prize.

CLARE hurling selector Tim Crowe last night claimed “an orchestrated and cunning attempt is being made by a small section with a huge vested interest” to force manager Tony Considine to resign.

Frank Lohan has been selected as captain of the Clare senior hurling team for 2007.

POLICE in the Bronx are investigating the murder a well-known GAA coach in New York.

Four American soldiers died in two bomb explosions in Baghdad, the U.S.-led coalition said today.

David Ryan, the former Irish Assistants' Champion from the Cork Club at Little Island, swept to the top of the leaderboard at Shannon in the first round of the €22,860 Dr William Flynn Memorial pro-am that is sponsored by Shell.