Sports Digest

Other sports news in brief

Bechtolsheimer takes bronze

EQUESTRIAN: A bronze medal for Britain's Laura Bechtolsheimer denied team gold medallists The Netherlands a clean sweep in the FEI Grand Prix special at the European individual dressage championships in Windsor yesterday afternoon, writes Margie Mcloone.

The home crowd certainly showed their appreciation for 24-year-old Bechtolsheimer’s work with her Hong Kong Olympics ride Mistral Hojris and the judges were impressed too, awarding the 14-year-old chestnut gelding a mark of 80.083 per cent.

Triple Olympic gold medallist Anky van Grunsven couldn’t match that score with Salinero and had to settle for fourth place on 77.917. However, her team-mates came out to repel the British challenge, with Adelinde Cornelissen going to the top of the leaderboard for gold when receiving 84.042 with Parzival, while Edward Gal slotted into the silver medal position when the judges awarded him 83.042 for his test on Moorlands Totilas. Unfortunately, having finished 25th with a score of 67.125 per cent, Ireland’s Anna Merveldt and Coryolano will not be in tomorrow’s freestyle competition.

On Wednesday night, the Dutch show jumpers set out to defend their title in the team championships but, going into today’s two-round Nations’ Cup, are marginally behind the Swiss whose Pius Schwizer (Ulysse) and Steve Guerdat (Jalisca Solier) filled the top two places in the 77-runner speed and handiness class.

Niland nows out of US Open qualifiers

TENNIS:Conor Niland's dream of becoming the first Irish man to qualify for the US Open ended in a 63-minute 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Colombian Alejandro Falla at Flushing Meadows last night.

Niland, ranked 402nd in the world, was always going to find it difficult against the 31st seed but after winning his first grand slam qualifier against Australian Joseph Sirianni on Tuesday, there was hope the Limerick man could cause an upset.

However, the Colombian converted six of the nine break points he gained and outclassed Niland in every other department to claim the victory in little over an hour.

Police question two over betting

SNOOKER:

World number two Stephen Maguire and fellow professional Jamie Burnett have been questioned by British police in connection with claims of irregular betting patterns linked to a tournament, a police spokesman said.

Maguire (28) and Burnett (33) were detained and questioned by Scotland’s Strathclyde Police before being released without charge yesterday. Inquiries are still ongoing and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal, Scotland’s public prosecutor. Maguire’s lawyer said in a statement that police questioned the player on information given during their initial interview in the spring.

The sport’s governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, had received a telephone call from a bookmaker reporting an unusual pattern of bets ahead of the match, predicting Maguire would beat Burnett 9-3. Maguire went on to win 9-3.

McVeigh in the title frame

GOLF:Danielle McVeigh kept alive her hopes of a quick-fire double despite faltering slightly in the second round of the European Ladies Amateur title at Falsterbo in Sweden.

Just six days after capturing the British Ladies Open at Aberdeen, the 21-year-old from Royal County Down posted a four over par 75 for a 145 total.

She goes into the third round in fourth place, three strokes behind new leader Pamela Prestwell, the Scottish international from Bothwell Castle, and one adrift of France's Lucie Andre and Swede Carline Hedwall.

The other Irish competitors, Charlene Reid, Sarah Cunningham and Aedin Murphy all struggled, Reid returning a 79 for 159, Cunningham 84 for 162, and Murphy 84 for 167.