Right. So you can't cast. Therefore you need to create a new java.sql.Date object. So, the first place to go is the API documentation, to see whether there are any suitable constructors for java.sql.Date. Give that a try. Come back here if you can't figure out how to use any of the constructors.
Check your imports. Which Date are you importing, java.util.Date or java.sql.Date? Because if you use the right import (java.util), your code seems to be just fine.