SPORTS DIGEST

Other sports stories in brief

Rain stops play in World Series

BASEBALL: The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays won't resume Game Five of the World Series before this evening - at the earliest - because of rain, cold and wind.

Rain forced the suspension of Monday's game in the bottom of the sixth inning with the scored tied 2-2 in Philadelphia. It was the first time a World Series game had been started and not played to nine innings.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said the sport would try to complete the game as soon as weather permitted.

The game had been scheduled to resume last night, but with rain, and even snow, continuing to fall, that was again put back to today.

"We are closely monitoring tomorrow's forecast and will continue to monitor the weather on an hourly basis," Selig said.

Philadelphia need one more victory to win the best-of-seven championship series and capture their first World Series title in 28 years.

Day with mixed bag and mixed tag

RUGBY:A mixed teenage tag rugby festival will he held today in Lakelands, home of Terenure College RFC. Registration begins at 10am with the tournament proper, which caters for young boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18.

The event will be divided into two different age groups in a World Cup blitz format, 12-15 and 16-18.

The aim of the day - supported by the IRFU and Leinster Rugby - is for all the teenagers to have fun and to enjoy tag rugby while raising money for Cancer research.

The entry fee for the day is €20 with a reduction for families.

This fee will cover the cost of participation, barbecue and prizes for all participants.

McCarthy one step away from medal

BOXING:Belfast's Thomas McCarthy can add to what has already been an incredible year for Irish amateur boxing with a last-eight win at the AIBA World Youth Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico, tonight.

The reigning Ulster senior light-heavyweight champion marched into the 81kg quarter-finals following a third-round stoppage of Lithuanian Ovidijus Martinkenas at the Lopez Mateo's Gymnasium early yesterday.

That win set up tonight's clash with Sweden's Pezhman Seifkhami where a victory will guarantee McCarthy at least bronze and bridge a six-year gap since Andy Lee won silver at the championships in Cuba.

Tonight's quarter-final arrives just two months after Ireland claimed one silver and two bronze medals at the 2008 Olympics.

Irish coach Jim Moore, who is in Mexico with the squad, said 18-year- old McCarthy is a special talent, and president of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association Dominic O'Rourke is confident. "Thomas is a very skilful young boxer and we will all be keeping our fingers crossed for him," said O'Rourke.

Munster game live on television

RUGBY:Munster's trip to the Liberty Stadium on Friday, January 9th, to take on the Ospreys will be broadcast live by Setanta Ireland (7.05), writes John O'Sullivan. The Magners League round 10 matches were confirmed following consultation with the respective broadcasters.

Magners League: Friday, January 9th: Connacht v Scarlets (6.30); Edinburgh v Ulster; Glasgow Warriors v Newport Gwent Dragons (7.30); Ospreys v Munster (7.05, live on Setanta Ireland). Saturday, January 10th. Leinster v Cardiff Blues (7.30, live on Setanta Ireland)

Stanford forced to apologise

CRICKET:Allen Stanford has offered an apology for his part in an incident that upset England's players during Sunday's match with Middlesex.

Stanford, who bankrolls the €16 million showdown between England and his own Caribbean collective this weekend, was shown on the big screen at the ground sitting among the players' partners, with wicketkeeper Matt Prior's wife, Emily, on his lap.

During the footage, which was televised, the 58-year-old also put his arms around some of the women. A number of England players, in the field at the time, found the episode inappropriate, triggering phone calls from Stanford to Prior as well as England captain Kevin Pietersen.

"He understood that the players were not particularly pleased with the incident and as a result of that he apologised," said a Stanford spokesman.

Murray gets ringing endorsement from Nadal

TENNIS:In-form Andy Murray heads into his opening match at the Paris Masters backed by a ringing endorsement by the world's leading player.

The Scot, bidding to win his third straight tournament as well as his third Masters Series title on the bounce, takes on American Sam Querrey in the second round in Bercy today.

Such is his form and confidence at the moment, few would bet against Murray ripping through a world-class field in the French capital to make another statement of intent ahead of 2009, when a grand slam title will definitely be on his to-do list.

Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard who achieved the impossible and knocked Roger Federer off the top of the world rankings this year, has labelled Murray a "complete" player and believes the 21-year-old from Dunblane is here to stay.

When asked by L'Equipe which player had impressed him most in 2008, Nadal had no hesitation in responding: "Murray. He has just proved in these last few months that he can win the big tournaments, whoever is in his way.

"He is a massive talent, with a complete game and both an aggressive shot and a containing shot.

"He makes it all look so easy."

Murray has claimed successive Masters Series crowns, in Cincinnati and Madrid, but may have to beat Nadal and world number two Federer in Paris this week if he is to complete a stunning hat-trick.