CIAN O'Connor broke the Irish duck at Vigo, Spain, yesterday when he won the 1m40 Accumulator class with the 12-year-old mare.

Though both O'Connor and Jessica Kurten have been racking up top 10 placings at Vigo, and previously at the World Cup show at Bordeaux in France, neither rider has scored an outright victory since Kurten's "rst place in the Swiss Masters at Zurich on January 27.

FAI MUST DECIDE ON KERR ALLEGATIONS

THE FAI have until midweek either to draw their sword and fight former manager Brian Kerr's assertion that chief executive John Delaney defamed him in a newspaper article last week or else decide on a strategy to compensate the Dubliner.

In the article Delaney contended that he knew he was right to sack Kerr when he saw no fear in the Swiss as they arrived for the World Cup make or break game last October. The clear innuendo of the article is that Kerr wasn't up to the job.

This statement appears to go against the strict con"dentiality agreement drawn up by Kerr's solicitors and those representing the FAI which explicitly precluded either side from making negative or adverse comments about each other.

FAI sources were last week pointing to the former manager's criticism of the Association in a television documentary, Final words, Brian Kerr's World Cup story, as their line of defence, but those comments were in the public domain before the agreement was drawn up.

Meanwhile, the ground sharing arrangement mooted by Dublin northside clubs Shelbourne and Bohemians at Dalymount Park looks set to go ahead with both clubs seeking a rubber stamping on the agreement from their boards this week. However, a fallout of the arrangement could see Gypsies' Chairman Phelim O'Reilly step down because he is unhappy at the development.

CRAGG A DOUBT FOR WORLD INDOORS

IRISH prospects of winning a medal at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow next month took a heavy knock in Arkansas last night when Alistair Cragg failed to "nish the 3000m.

Cragg dropped out with just over three laps remaining and his participation in Russia must now be in grave doubt.

FIRST GOLD OF GAMES GOES TO GERMANY

The first gold medal of the 2006 Winter Olympics was claimed by German Michael Greis who was the surprise winner of the men's 20km biathlon in Italy yesterday.

He held off the challenge of Norway's defending champion Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who had to settle for silver.

It was a good start to the Games for Germany, with Georg Hettich an early leader in the nordic combined event.

Meanwhile, four more cross-country skiers have been given "ve-day bans from the Winter Olympics after tests showed high levels of red blood cells. The group includes Ethiopia's "rst competitor at the Games, Robel Teklemariam, and takes the total number of suspensions to 12.

FIRMAN QUALIFIES SEVENTH FOR A1

IRELAND'S Ralph Firman will be on row four of the grip for today's A1 GP in Indonesia after qualifying seventh quickest while Britain's Robbie Kerr is aiming to make the most of his team's "rst pole position.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow, I have a great opportunity, " admitted Kerr.

"It's not easy, though, it is a fast circuit and we will have to see what happens."

Kerr took pole position for tomorrow's "rst race, the sprint, from France's Nicolas Lapierre. Mexico's Salvador Duran and Switzerland's Neel Jani will be on the second row. Pre-series title favourites Team SINGH LEADS INDIA TO WIN OVER PAKISTAN YUVRAJ SINGH hit a superb unbeaten 82 to guide India to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second oneday international in Rawalpindi. Shoaib Malik with 95 and Younis Khan with 81 not out were the main performers in the India's 265 all out off 49 overs.

McCANN FINISHES SECOND IN MALAYSIA IRISH cyclist David McCann narrowly missed the top spot on the podium when he "nished second to Ukraine's Sergiy Matveyev in the Telekom Malaysia Le Tour de Langkawi.

McCann's Irish teammate Paul Grif"n "nished well off the pace in 87th place of the 104 starters.