Pride of place must go to the Salthill Devon girls on winning the FAI Cup Under 16 on Sunday in Tolka Park Dublin. The game went to extra time but Salthill led 2/0 at half time with goals from Emer Flatley and Lucy Hannon. 2/2 at full time and Julieanne Russell netted the vital third. Do you ever get the impression that these Salthill girls are already household names? While we are at it we must wish the Galway & District Ladies the best of luck when they contest the Womens Senior FAI Cup final against Raheny in Dalymount Park on Sunday 3.00pm.

Congratulations to Mike Heskin of the Bish and Tribesmen rowing clubs who has been appointed manager of the Irish rowing team. His appointment comes in the wake of some lonely battles from the ?floor of the house' at national level of the Irish Amateur rowing Union. Goes to show, changes can be made. Good luck to him.

We applaud the co-operation between the most unlikely interests that took place yet again in Galway last weekend. The Galway Oyster Festival Marquee at Nimmo's Pier played host to a very different public when near to 1000 athletes showed up for the Galway Bay 10. It was the fifth annual running of the event and Bernard Duffy thought it was worth 200,000 euro to Cancer Care West. The results should be on line at www.galwaybay10.com

Fearghal Geraghty from that wonderful stable of sportspeople (their house in Ballyburke is called Teach na Rasa?!) was a clear winner in a fine time of 58.49. The Galway United Physio won from Brian O'Connor Clydagh Moycullen and Brian Bruton C?irt Seoige Bohermore. Regina Casey continued her winning ways with a time of 65.21. Regina is from The Neale Ballinrobe and teaches in St.Gerald's College in Castlebar, so why run with Galway City Harriers? Simple, when you get the start from P.J.Coyle it is easy to stay! Second Lady home was Alison Barlow, on scholarship to UCD from Jacksonville Florida. So why the Galway Bay 10? She saw it online! Third was Deirdre Brophy of Frenchpark Oranmore.

NUIG won the team event and it included a young athlete called Orla N? Mhuircheartaigh! Hewlett Packard were runners/up. Ian Egan was just eligible to win the V40. Eoin O'Mahony fresh from his county minor football duties finished well up. And the finishers included Mickey McLoughlin the Futures Finance Fella (what alliteration!) who is the main sponsor of the Streets of Galway 8K (the opposition!). The Mayor of the City of Galway Cllr.Tom Costello was on hand to present the prizes.

A remarkable family representation who finished in good order just over the two hours were the five girls from the Small family of Newtownsmith in the city. They are Kate Staunton (well known as the former champion swimmer Catherine Small), Madeline Duncan, Susan Coyle, Trish Godwin and Muriel Kinneen. But even better was the Hughes family of Westport with strong Galway connections. Cathal Hughes and his brothers Seamus, Pat, Harry, Owen, Richard, Vincent, Declan and the sister Cathy, nine in all completed the race.

The 3rd annual George Herterich Memorial Match will take place on Sunday at Mervue United K/O 4.00pm. The game is played between Liverpool and Man. Utd. supporters based in Foxes and Fibber Magees Bars. The game is in memory of George Junior with all funds going to Galway Hospice. The trophy will be presented at 8.00pm upstairs in Fibbers by the Herterich family. A sponsored headshave of a number of the match participants will follow. Sponsorship cards are available from Foxes and Fibbers and all are welcome. Mike Buckley is the contact @ 086 8521312.

John O'Shea, the founder and chief executive of Goal the sportspeople's third world charity was in terrific form at the Goal Ball in the new Clayton Hotel on Friday. In a fiery speech he lashed into everything from corrupt and negligent governments to the performance of Eddie O'Sullivan at the RWC. And he took time out to speak with affection on the death of his friend and supporter of Goal's work in Zimbabwe, Tony O'Sullivan. And as an add on told us that his last senior club game with Blackrock College was against Galwegians and his only memory on a bad day for him was seeing the backs of Tony Corley and Mick Casserly!