Golf
When the 119th Amateur Championship tees-off at Royal Portrush and Portstewart next Monday, all 288 competitorswill be ranked players on the World Amateur Golf Rankings, among them 15 challengers from Ireland, writes Tony McGee. Crossing the Atlantic are 13 top rankers from the USA, alongside competitors from as far afield as Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and New Zealand, providing a stiff challenge to the local talent.
Leading the Irish challenge will be the likes of 2013 East of Ireland champion, Paul Dunne, who has been selected for this year's European Palmer Cup team, Ardglass's Cormac Sharvin, North of Ireland reigning champion Chris Selfridge, former Ulster Boys' champion and current West title-holder Jack Hume, Harry Diamond and Gareth Lappin (Belvoir Park), Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock), Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene), Rory McNamara (Headfort) and, of course, Reeve Whitson (Mourne), the 2013 Spanish Open champion.
Thirty-three of the top 100 on the WAGR listing will make the trip including England's Ryan Evans, the highest ranked British player in the field. Evans was the strokeplay medallist at the 2014 Australian Amateur before winning the Lake Macquarie Amateur in January.
Last year's quarter-finalist, Italy's Renato Paratore, ranked 17th in the world, will lead the continental European challenge alongside Mario Galiano Aguilar of Spain and last year's Belgian Amateur champion Thomas Detry, who are ranked 15th and 19th respectively.
There will surely be massive interest in the championship debut of Spain's Javier Ballesteros, son of the late, great Seve.
Bowls
The following players have been selected to play in the NIBA junior trial at the Grove Park, Belfast on Monday, June 16 at 6.30pm. Players should contact Stephen Moran 07967 8057752 to confirm availability.
M Albert (Balmoral), JD Allen (L'derry Park),
D Anderson (Carrick), M Beattie (Lisnagarvey), S Beggs (W'head), D Bodles (Carrick),
W Boyd (D'dee), T Brady (Sydenham),
J Brown (Balmoral), L Carson (S'ham),
T Carson (Bangor), M Crawford (do), C Dorman (D'dee), C Gaw (do), J Grant (Bessbrook),
M Hastings (Bangor), N Hawthorne (Markethill), S Jess (Lisnagarvey), A Johston (Dromore),
C Mackender (Castle), K Matchett (Balmoral), G Mayne (N'abbey), T McClean (S''ham),
I McMenamin (W'head), R Miller (Lurgan),
C Milligan (Balmoral), J Moffett (Rathfriland),
J Montgomery (W'head), P Morgan (R'friland), C Mullan (N'abbey), J Nelson (Carrick),
A Patterson (Bangor), W Sweetlove (L'derry Park).