Sports digest

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

British sprinter Wilson banned for four years

ATHLETICS:British sprinter Bernice Wilson has been banned for four years after testing positive for anabolic steroids, UK Anti-Doping said yesterday. Wilson (27) was provisionally suspended after testing positive for testosterone and clenbuterol in June last year and will now be ineligible to compete until July 2015 after an independent panel decided her case warranted the maximum sanction.

A statement from UK Anti-Doping said the panel agreed it was a “very bad case of doping” and that “far from admitting her guilt . . . she sought to blame other people”.

World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has a standard two-year ban for doping offenders, although it provides scope for an increase if there are aggravating circumstances such as using more than one prohibited substance or “deceptive conduct”.

“We have successfully argued for a four-year ban which demonstrates that UK Anti-Doping always seeks robust sanctions against athletes who look to cheat the system and betray those around them,” UK Anti-Doping chief executive Andy Parkinson said.

Bekele among 35 athletes banned by Ethiopia

ATHLETICS:Ethiopia has indefinitely banned 35 athletes – including Olympic men's 5,000 and 10,000 metres champion Kenenisa Bekele – from competition in a row over training, the technical director of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation said yesterday.

The body, angry over flagging results in the past few years, summoned 200 athletes to a training camp two months ago ahead of the World Indoor Championships in March and the London Olympics in July and August. But Bekele and other athletes including Olympic women’s 5,000 and 10,000 gold medallist Tirunesh Dibaba ignored the call-up, technical director Dube Jilo said.

“We have banned 35 athletes, including Kenenisa and Tirunesh, from competing in any event,” he said. “It has been two months now since we summoned every athlete in contention, but this group has so far failed to respond.”

He said the ban would be reconsidered as soon as the athletes reported for training. Bekele, who has yet to decide if he will compete in London anyway, said he had been injured. “I have not discussed the details with the federation,” he said.

UCD coast to victory over Carlow

GAELIC GAMES: UCD coasted to a 2-13 to 0-11 victory over Carlow in the Walsh Cup SH first round tie under lights at the IT Carlow ground last night, in a game where the superior hurling skills of the students was always apparent.

Two first-half goals from UCD left full forward Kevin O’Loughlin in the 17th and 32nd minutes enabled the visitors to hold a deserved 2-7 to 0-6 interval lead.

Surer of touch and more clinical in their finishing, UCD continued their domination in the second half. Carlow tried hard but never looked like breaching a strong students’ defence for a goal that might have sparked a sterner challenge.

Tipperary senior star Noel McGrath was outstanding at midfield for UCD, finishing with 0-4. In defence Oisín Gough, Joe Lyng, Shane Norton and Matthew McCaffrey starred, Kevin O’Loughlin top-scored with 2-3, while Cathal Kenny and Walter Walsh were other notable attackers for the winners, who were well worth their eight -point win.

Dwyer enjoys success in Florida

EQUESTRIAN: Mooncoin native James Dwyer, who is based full-time in the United States, won the Grade IV class as the three-star para dressage show which opened yesterday in Wellington, Florida, reports Margie McLoone.

Riding his Dutch-bred gelding Orlando, a bay by Hamlet, Dwyer received a score of 68.750% with the next-best being Canada’s Lynne Pool who was some way adrift on 64.427 following her work on Vasco E. The show continues today with the individual test while the freestyle competition takes place tomorrow.

Dwyer commented: “I was overall pretty happy . There are a few little things here and there that we need to work on but overall he was really good and I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Loeb in control of Monte Carlo

RALLYING:Citroen's Sebastien Loeb looked in complete control of the season-opening Monte Carlo rally yesterday after heading for the overnight stop in Monaco with a lead of two minutes 12.4 seconds. The eight-times world champion played it safe on the treacherous mountain roads in southern France while new Finnish team-mate Mikko Hirvonen turned up the pace to end the third day in fourth place.

Spain’s Dani Sordo was in second place in a Mini after a tight battle with Ford’s Norwegian former champion Petter Solberg, who lost time after cutting a corner too tight and breaking a rim that then punctured the tyre.

Solberg’s team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland crashed out on the opening day. Tyre choice was again crucial with Sordo starting off on unstudded winter tyres on a day on which drivers raced through rain, fog and snow over precipice-hugging roads with icy stretches.

Ireland’s Craig Breen is 15th overall despite hitting a bridge in his SWRC-eligible Fiesta.

Robertson books place in last four

SNOOKER: Neil Robertson overcame a fightback from Mark Williams and a problem with his cue tip to book his place in the semi-finals of the Masters at Alexandra Palace in London yesterday .

The Australian claimed a 6-4 win to set up a last-four meeting with UK champion Judd Trump.

Williams battled back from 4-1 to 4-3 down, but a break of 119 to go 5-3 in front ended the Welshman’s run as Robertson edged home.

The 2010 world champion took the first and third frames on the black, either side of a 78 break from Williams, to move into a 2-1 lead, and he then racked up a 95 to go further clear.

The Melbourne player, though, admitted he struggled with his tip during the match and would have to get it replaced before his semi-final against Trump. “I have to change my tip tonight,” he added. “You are meant to play in a few tips and have one ready, but I haven’t done it.”

O’Brien brothers on preliminary list for IPL auction

CRICKET: Irish internationals Niall and Kevin O'Brien have both been included in the preliminary auction list for the Indian Premier League, writes Emmet Riordan.

Wicket-keeper Niall, 30, was yesterday auctioned for €62,000 to the Khulna Royal Bengals for next month’s inaugural Bangladesh Premier League, and he has been listed at a start price of $50,000 (€38,700), the same mark he started at for the Bangladesh event.

Younger brother Kevin, 27, has also been given a base auction price of $50,000 and will be hoping that his stunning performance against England at the World Cup in India last March may persuade one of the nine IPL franchises to bid for him.

Kevin hit the fastest century in World Cup history against England in Bangalore, taking just 50 balls, and also scored the fastest century in English cricket last summer, this time from just 44 deliveries for Gloucestershire against Middlesex.

England spinner Graeme Swann was the only player to command the highest reserve price of $400,00 for the auction, which takes place on February 4th, with the tournament running from April 4th to May 27th.