Ballinderry Shamrocks

THE Ulster Club Senior Football Championship decider may have been the only final contested but weekend results would suggest that the destination of three sporting titles may well have been determined.

Congratulations to newly-crowned Ulster titleholders Ballinderry, who emerged as champions after a great tussle with Mayobridge at Casement Park.

And after superb successes at the weekend, who would now bet against Celtic retaining their Scottish Premier League title and AP McCoy breaking his own Champion Jockey record?

At Casement it fell to Derry star Enda Muldoon to shatter Mayobridge dreams, crashing home a super strike after the Down champions had edged one point ahead early in the second half of their Ulster Club SFC showdown.

Mayobridge’s Glen McMahon, who was later to have a second goal disallowed, had put the Down side ahead - but within one minute of the restart came the Muldoon heartbreaker.

A superb Ulster final by all accounts, full credit to both teams, officials and fans.

Full marks also - or rather full points - to Scottish champions Celtic whose home victory over Rangers yesterday puts 10 points between Martin O’Neill’s side and their great Glasgow rivals.

Although there’s a long way to go yet, and O’Neill is at pains to ensure complacency doesn’t set in, the win may well have put the race for the SPL title beyond doubt.

It may also put an end to the reign of Ibrox boss, Dick Advocaat.

Trailing Celtic by seven points with just 14 games played, a win, even a draw was called for, defeat was not an option for Advocaat or Rangers.

Rangers entered Parkhead determined to put their lacklustre midweek UEFA Cup stalemate against Paris St Germain behind them.

A win would narrow the SPL gap to just four points, restore credibility, leaving all to play for in the closing months of the championship campaign.

Instead Advocaat came away with ‘nil point’ and only the headache of a disciplinary showdown with defender Michael Ball, furious after being substituted, to show for his efforts.

Tony McCoy’s weekend efforts were much more rewarding.

Small in stature he may be, but Irish sporting greats don’t come much bigger than champion jockey McCoy.

The Moneyglass man was at his brilliant best again at Ascot helping trainer Martin Pipe - and hopefully more than a handful of punters - to a 275-1 treble.

The £50,000 First National Gold Cup is the latest trophy in the McCoy collection.

On board Wahiba Sands, McCoy hit the front on the outside as the four contenders approached the final fence.

Under strong pressure from the odds-on favourite and rising star, Best Mate, McCoy expertly held on for a electrifying half-length victory.

It was a vintage McCoy performance, driving home hard, defying the thundering clamour of the chasing pack behind him.

The champion jockey, arguably the greatest jump jockey of all time, kickstarted the Ascot meeting on a winning note, guiding Pipe’s 11-2 chance, Live The Dream, to success in the opener.

The Moneyglass jockey is rarely out of the frame in major races, last week steering Shooting Light to a comfortable victory in the Thomas Pink Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

Yesterday at Plumpton McCoy notched up winner No 158 of the season.

First Garruth raced home with six lengths to spare and McCoy quickly followed that up with a win on Hit And Run to round off another good day at the office.

Ballinderry have deservedly clinched championship glory - Celtic and McCoy are well on their way.