Three tough games in a week for UCC Demons may work both as a help and a hindrance as they prepare for this weekend's massive SuperLeague National Cup final on Sunday. After the riveting semi-final at Neptune stadium, where they just edged out their great rivals Demons again travelled to the home of Neptune last weekend before encountering southern Conference leaders UL Eagles in Limerick on Sunday.

Midleton 12 Sundays Well 6
Midleton just about deserved to win this Cork derby last Saturday but they knew they had been in a battle against a well drilled Well side. In a game played in perfect conditions at Townspark both sides tore into each other from the get go.

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In the trauma-filled history of the Grand National, surely one of the most remarkable and puzzling races for the Aintree spectacular took place in 1956, when the Queen Mother's Devon Loch inexplicably came to grief on the flat, having jumped every one of the thirty giant fences, within sight of that elusive winning post, when well clear of the field, and with the race, to all intents and purposes, in his pocket.

McGrath Cup Final Saturday @2.30pm
UCC v Kerry, Austin Stack Park, Tralee
It's all system go for UCC footballers who have been active on both fronts in recent weeks and they face a busy few days especially if they maintain their winning sequence.

Cork Church of Ireland earned a vital home win in the second round of Irish Hockey League fixtures while Cork Harlequins missed out on a bonus point after their concession of two very late goals. Cork C of I lie a point off the lead in their group after their excellent 4-3 win over northerners Annadale. They trail Lisnagarvey who top the table after two wins from two games.

Thanks to the final round of pool fixtures in the Heineken Cup, Munster will again face Northampton at home, but this time in the quarter-finals in April. Northampton's losing bonus point was enough to see them through to the quarter-finals as one of the two best pool runners-up.

NEH Neptune 76
UCC Demons 74
Neptune UNE were able to exact some revenge for their heart-breaking National Cup semi-final loss to Demons by putting one over their great rivals on Saturday night.

This time last week I was moving serenely along the river Nile. In my humble opinion there is very little in the world of travel that can compare with a river cruise and the majestic Nile unquestionably provides one the most fascinating journeys available anywhere across the globe. It is the conduit that has provided the population of Egypt with food, and its distribution, for thousands of years and while the infrastructure of the country is now based on more modern means of transport and movement, the river is still the very pulse of the country.

A joint Cork City and County sports partnership was launched last week by CEO of the Irish Sports Council John Treacy. The new partnership will lead and co-ordinate the development of sport and physical activity throughout Cork in partnership with local agencies, sporting organisations and local communities.

CIT 1-10
UCC 1-12
Billy Morgan-led UCC secured their place in the McGrath Cup final thanks to a deserved two point victory over CIT at CIT grounds last Friday.