HURLING referees haven’t exactly swallowed their whistles but Lar Corbett has noticed their willingness to let the game flow more — and he’s hoping for more of the same from Brian Gavin on Sunday.

The tiny village of Milltown Malbay is the focal point for Willie Clancy Week, reports Caomhan Kean.

A BIGGER and more physically imposing Midleton side were simply too strong for Millstreet in a pulsating U21 AFC quarter-final at Castletownroche last night.

THE satisfaction was clearly evident in the Kerry camp at the final whistle in Fitzgerald Stadium yesterday.

ON the way to Dublin yesterday, watching the reading rising on the thermometer, I was fearful that this Leinster final was going to be a hard day for lads with a lot of mileage under their belts.

IRELAND’S tournament hoodoo against France almost resurfaced before Eugene Magee saved the day with the last touch of the match in a 2-2 Champions Challenge II draw in Lille yesterday.

GRAFT-BUSTING “Massage Parlour King” Chuwit Kamolvisit must be the only candidate in Thailand’s election who wants to be in opposition — and prefers being labelled a pimp rather than a politician.

WITH two crucial games in the qualifiers this evening and the Leinster final tomorrow, it has the makings of a great weekend for hurling.

LIVERPOOL defender Jose Enrique insists there will be no excuses from the players as they prepare for a quick turnaround for a Carling Cup quarter-final at Chelsea.

THE man who scored Coolderry’s crucial goal in Sunday’s Leinster Club SHC final was exultant at the final whistle, understandably enough.

KEN HOGAN was already thinking of the All-Ireland semi-final at the final whistle in Nowlan Park yesterday.

THIS club hurling championship must be one of the strangest competitions around.

LIVERPOOL manager Kenny Dalglish knows he has some tough calls to make as he seeks to end Manchester City’s unbeaten start to the Barclays Premier League season.

WAYNE ROONEY’S two goals offered a short, sharp response to those pundits who believe he could be on his way out of Old Trafford due to differences with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

AROUND this time every year it’s difficult to escape the various sporting lists of ‘ones to watch’ for the next 12 months.

JON Kenny in his famous D’Unbelievables sketch immortalised the stereotypical GAA club manager.

CRESCENT COLLEGE Comprehensive won the Bowen Shield after a seven-year gap with an exciting victory over PBC in an epic contest at Temple Hill.

BAFETIMBI GOMIS struck four times as Lyon routed 10-man Dinamo Zagreb 7-1 in Zagreb and completed a remarkable nine-goal swing to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League ahead of Group D rivals Ajax.

NIALL QUINN has accused the Professional Footballers’ Association of getting their priorities all wrong, and admitted football has a big problem with its attitude to mental health in the wake of Gary Speed’s death.

THE company operating the 2,111-seater €80 million Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin’s docklands are reporting “satisfactory profits with strong box office sales” this year.