Sports digest

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

Big names battle for award

SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR: The contenders for this year's William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year were announced yesterday. There are 25 books in total on the long list for the award, which includes some of the biggest names in Irish sport.

Long list – Lansdowne Road – Gerard Siggins Malachy Clerkin; Kinane – Anne Holland; Days of Heaven – Declan Lynch; The Agony and the Ecstasy – Damien Tiernan; A Football Man – John Giles; Emerald Anfield – Keith Falkiner; The Unconquerable Keane – David Smith; Sea the Stars – Anne Holland; My Story – Bernard Dunne; My Club – Christy O’Connor; Ruby – Ruby Walsh; Screaming at the Sky – Tony Griffin; The World is a Ball – John Doyle; If You Don’t Know Me, Don’t Judge Me – Dan Shanahan; 100 GAA Greats – John Scally; Sporting Legends of Ireland – Turtle Bunbury James Fennell; Darragh, My Story – Darragh Ó Sé; Voices from Croke Park – Seán Potts; My Father; A Hurling Revolutionary – Conor Power; Alright Aldo – John Aldridge John Hynes; Stuttgart to Saipan – Miguel Delaney; Dáil Stars – Conor McMorrow; Brothers in Sport – Donal Keenan; Gaffers: 50 Years of Irish Football Managers – Trevor Keane; Method in My Madness – Richard Dunwoody

Sweetnam seals Midleton's victory

HOCKEY: Midleton proved the surprise package of the All-Ireland schoolboy's hockey championships, reaching the semi-final stage for the first time as they stunned 2007 champion's Cookstown HS.

In their Pool B decider, Jason Sweetnam’s 23rd minute goal was the vital factor but the win owed a huge amount to a concerted defensive effort in which the Co Cork side held out 12 penalty corners from Irish underage international Ian Sloan.

Goalkeeper Brendan Doyle made a string of fine saves while Nick Burns marshalled his troops superbly.

Elsewhere, reigning champions and hosts Wesley College eased into the semis with comfortable wins over Ulster side’s Sullivan Upper and Campbell College. St Andrew’s – winners in 2008 – are also through, topping their group ahead of Friends HS on goal difference following a 2-2 draw. Banbridge Academy complete the final four.

Hounds trimmed

HORSE RACING: Master Of Hounds is proving increasingly popular ahead of Saturday's Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster as Aidan O'Brien bids to continue his excellent recent record in the race with Master Of Hounds and Seville in this year's renewal.

Once news emerged yesterday morning that stable jockey Johnny Murtagh had chosen the former – off the track since winning a Tipperary maiden in July – further money started to arrive.

Coral cut the youngster to 11-2 from 7-1, while Seville, the mount of Colm O’Donoghue, is out to 6-1 from 5s with Stan James.

Record entry for Dublin marathon

ATHLETICS: Over 13,000 runners will descend on Fitzwilliam Square next Monday for the 31st Dublin Marathon. Dublin's status as one of the "friendliest" marathons seems intact, as despite the recession over 74 nations will be represented on Monday, and significantly, 2010 sees the largest ever Irish field.

“We are delighted to break the 13,000 mark for the first time,” said Race Director Jim Aughney. “And the key reason we have is the big increase in Irish entries.”

Whether the course records are broken in 2010 remains to be seen, but with current record holder, Russian Alexsey Sokolov making a return this year, organisers expect there to be a real challenge to the record held since 2007. In the Women’s Elite category, last year’s winner Kateryna Stetsenko (Ukraine) will be hoping for her second consecutive win in Dublin.

Jankovic crashes out

TENNIS: Top seed Jelena Jankovic went out of the Kremlin Cup at the first hurdle in a 6-1 6-2 thrashing by little-known Kazakh teenager Zarina Diyas on Thursday.

Serbia’s former world number one looked out of sorts from the start, committing numerous errors and winning only 43 per cent of her first serves. She was beaten in less than an hour by the 268th-ranked Diyas.

“I’m not feeling well. I have been sick since I came from China,” said Jankovic.

Trent Johnston claims player of the year award

CRICKET: All-rounder Trent Johnston was the clear-cut winner of the Cricket Writers of Ireland international player of the year award at a function in Stormont, Belfast last night, writes Emmet Riordan.

The 36-year-old smashed the Irish wickets in a season record with 58 in the 38 games he played and has now passed the 200 wickets and 2000 runs landmarks.

The young player gong went to 18-year-old spinner George Dockrell, who proved himself as a rising star on the international scene in his debut season. The Leinster left-armer began the year playing at the Under-19 World Cup before making his senior debut in Sri Lanka at the end of January.

The club player of the year award went to Railway Union and former Ireland opening bat Kenny Carroll, who hit 680 runs and took 24 wickets for the Sandymount side. Stephen Warke was the latest inductee to the RSA Hall of Fame. He won 114 caps for Ireland and captained his country 39 times.