Clay complications put Ireland’s promotion hopes on hold again

THE lack of match-practice on clay took a costly toll on the Ireland Fed Cup team yesterday in the sweltering heat and high humidity in Cairo.

Because of the flight restrictions, team boss Garry Cahill and Cork’s Niamh Coveney were unable to fly out of Dublin Airport until Wednesday for the round-robin event which began early that day. And Antrim’s Lucy McCullough was delayed in Ireland until 24 hours later.

Three years ago, the Smash Tennis Academy on the northern outskirts of Cairo proved a happy hunting ground for the Ireland men’s tennis team when they gained promotion in the Davis Cup to Group Two of the Europe-Africa Zone.