AN opponent could be named for Paul McCloskey later today.

KEVIN O’Brien top-scored for Ireland as they cruised to a six-wicket win over Kenya in their first Twenty20 international at Mombasa.

With Lisnagarvey and Cookstown already looking comfortable qualifiers for next season’s IHL, the question is who will be joining them?

The Ireland team to play Italy in the RBS 6 Nations Championship at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday has been named and coach Declan Kidney has opted for an unchanged lineup.

THE pieces are beginning to come together again for Ulster head coach, Brian McLaughlin, as he welcomed Pedrie Wannenburg back into the squad following a short lay-off with a foot injury.

ULSTER: Former English international player and Gloucester coach, Dean Ryan, is the latest name to surface in respect of the new head coach role at Ulster Rugby.

MICHAEL Hughes has been appointed permanent boss of Carrick Rangers.

SANDY Row’s Joe Hillerby is out to impress at the Emerald Roadhouse in Belfast on Saturday night.

MANAGER Tommy Breslin admits Joe Gormley probably deserves more game time with Cliftonville.

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HURDLER Ben Reynolds must have propelled himself onto the Irish team for the World Indoors Athletics Championships in Istanbul with his third Under 23 record of the season.

MICHAEL O’Neill admits naming his first international squad was a relatively pain-free exercise.

MICHAEL O’Neill believes Aaron Hughes’ return from international exile will give Northern Ireland football a “massive lift”.

DARREN Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell have all been kept apart in the draw for the opening rounds of the Accenture match-play event, which gets under way in Arizona tomorrow.

TWO-time Isle of Man TT winner Cameron Donald has been confirmed as the latest name due to compete in the Supertwins Lightweight race at the Isle of Man TT in June.

CARETAKER boss Roy Coyle was last night given the perfect send off as Glentoran powered their way into the quarter-finals of the Setanta Sports Cup at the Oval.

Portadown’s Setanta Cup campaign ended last night with battling Bohemians securing a 1-0 victory – 3-1 on aggregate – at Shamrock Park, WRITES VICTOR GORDON.

DERRY City produced a professional performance with his demolition of Distillery at the Brandywell last night to cruise into the quarter-finals of the Setanta Sports Cup, WRITES ARTHUR DUFFY.

CLIFTONVILLE booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Setanta Sports Cup after knocking St Patrick’s Athletic out of the competition for the second year running, WRITES GARETH MAHER.

ULSTER’S Jonathan Rea pulled the wraps off his new factory Honda CB1000RR Fireblade before posting the fourth fastest time on the opening day of the official World Superbike test at Phillip Island yesterday.