Sports Digest

A round-up of today's other sports news in brief

Buick finally pull the plug

GOLF:The US PGA Tour has suffered a double blow because of the economic downturn with the removal of the Buick Invitational and Buick Open tournaments from its 2010 schedule.

In a long anticipated move, troubled Detroit automaker Buick announced in a joint statement with the Tour that it had withdrawn its sponsorship of both events from next season.

The statement read: “. . . as a result of the recent court-supervised restructuring of General Motors, all agreements between Buick and the PGA Tour have been withdrawn.

“This brings to an end the Buick Open at Warwick Hills and Buick’s sponsorship of the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines (LaJolla, California).

“While this is disappointing news, both the PGA Tour and Buick remain in discussions regarding future sponsorship possibilities.”

Astarloza ‘loses faith in drug tests’

CYCLING:Spaniard Mikel Astarloza, who came 11th in the Tour de France, denied yesterday that he had taken any illegal substances after testing positive for the banned blood booster EPO.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) provisionally suspended the Euskaltel Euskadi rider last Friday following a positive out-of-competition test on a urine sample taken on June 26th. “I haven’t taken anything illegal,” Astarloza told a news conference.

“I will do whatever it takes to find out where this supposed positive result came from.”

Astarloza (29), cast doubts on the test that was carried out in a Wada accredited laboratory in Madrid, saying: “There are reasons to doubt its credibility.”

He refused to give details, but said that he had lost faith in the system, whatever the B sample test revealed, and added that doping in this day and age was “Madness. Sporting suicide.”

Ireland hit by late goal

HOCKEY:Ireland were stung by a late Alexander Korolev strike to lose 2-1 to Russia, dropping them to second in the final Pool A reckoning at the EuroHockey Nation's Trophy in Wrexham yesterday.

Eugene Magee’s 50th minute lead goal was the high-point, scrambling into the vacant net. Conor Harte’s dissent saw a regulation free-in upgraded to a penalty corner which Nikolay Yankun duly scored. Korolev then punished Ireland from Russia’s eighth penalty corner with three minutes remaining.

Ireland’s semi-final opponent, though, remains unknown as the Czech Republic and Wales finished equal top of the group with the same goal difference. A penalty shoot-out today will decide who takes top spot.

IRELAND:D Harte, J Jackson, R Gormley (capt), S Butler, J Brennan, J Jermyn, E Magee, G Shaw, D Hobbs, T Cockram, T Lewis. Subs: A Giles, P Caruth, M Darling, G McCabe, C Harte.

Trott gets surprise England call up for fourth Test

CRICKET:England bolstered their bowling options by naming Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Harmison in a 14-man squad for the fourth Ashes Test against Australia at Headingley starting on Friday.

England, who lead the series 1-0 with two matches remaining, also included uncapped Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott, who was born and raised in South Africa.

Monty Panesar was left out meaning Graeme Swann will provide captain Andrew Strauss with the spinning option on what is normally a seamer-friendly pitch. Harmison could replace Andrew Flintoff should the Lancashire all rounder’s knee injury rule him out, while left-arm seamer Sidebottom comes into the squad just as Stuart Broad’s place has come under threat after a disappointing series with the ball.

Sidebottom has not featured in a Test since this year’s tour of West Indies. “We will need to carefully assess the pitch and the overhead conditions at Headingley before finalising our 11,”the ECB’s national selector Geoff Miller said.