SPORTS DIGEST

A round-up of today's sports news

Raikkonen admits need for miracle

MOTOR SPORT:Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen said yesterday he needed a miracle to retain his title following a disappointing Italian Grand Prix.

With four races left, the Ferrari driver is fourth and 21 points behind McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton after trailing in ninth at rainswept Monza on Sunday.

The Finn, who won the title last year after making up a 17-point deficit in the final two races, still refused to give up his championship hopes despite three grands prix in a row without a point.

"You don't have to be Einstein to understand that this is not the right way to fight for the title," he wrote on the website ferrariworld.com.

"It's not over yet, but now it will take a miracle, like one that makes lightning strike twice."

His Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa is just a point behind Hamilton but Raikkonen was slow to commit to helping his team-mate.

"I want to try and win again this season . . . You never know what will happen in a race," he said.

Weylandt takes 17th stage

CYCLING:Talented young Belgian sprinter Wouter Weylandt yesterday won his Quick Step team's fifth stage of this year's Tour of Spain. Second behind the 23-year-old rider in the hard-fought bunch sprint for the 17th stage was Dane Matti Breschel. Alexandre Usov of Belarus was third.

Ireland's Nicolas Roche of the Credit Agricole team came home in the bunch in 16th place and remains 17th overall.

Overall, the Spaniard Alberto Contador remained in control of the race for a fifth successive stage. His Astana team-mate Levi Leipheimer is second, one minute 17 seconds behind, and Carlos Sastre is third at 3:41.

"Today was a day for the sprinters, one for the rest of us to get through," Contador said. "The most important thing was to get through unscathed." Contador said his last big target before Sunday's finish in Madrid would be Saturday's 17.1-km mountain time trial, where he hopes to seal his overall victory.

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Munster edge it as Doyle finds chink in defence

RUGBY:Munster eked out a hard-fought 7-6 win over Ulster in their A interprovincial at Musgrave Park yesterday.

The game's only try came 11 minutes from time, the Munster outhalf Conan Doyle touching down and Tadhg Bennett converting.

The Ireland defence coach Les Kiss was a spectator and would have been impressed with the first-up tackling by both sides, while Gert Smal, also in attendance, was able to cast his eye over the provinces' prodigious forward talent.

Munster fielded five fully contracted players, including Brian Carney and Mike Prendergast, but were under pressure in the opening quarter when Paul Steinmetz posted a penalty and Ulster led 3-0 at the break.

Steinmetz increased Ulster's lead with a 67th-minute penalty, but from a lineout won by Billy Holland, Cathal Sheridan fed Doyle, who raced through a gap in midfield and turned out of a tackle to dot down.

MUNSTER:E Ryan; B Carney, K Lewis, T Gleeson, C O'Boyle; C Doyle, M Prendergast; Darragh Hurley, M Essex, T Ryan; M Melbourne, I Nagle; T O'Donnell, E Grace, B Holland (capt). Replacements:C Sheridan for Prendergast (half-time), D Foley for I Nagle and J Coughlan for Grace (51 mins), D Ryan for T Ryan (64 mins), T Bennett for O'Boyle (65 mins), M Kinsella for Doyle (75 mins).

ULSTER:J Smith; M Barker, M McCrea, I Whitten, T Seymour; P Steinmetz, P Marshall; J Carey N Hanna, B Young; M Wilson, N McCombe; F Paulo, W Faloon, C Henry (capt). Replacements:S Philpott for Hanna and Watt for Seymour (both 53 mins), P Karayiannis for Carey (63 mins), M Entwhistle for Wilson (66 mins), A Telford for P Marshall and S Lamb for Faloon (both 76 mins).

Referee:D Philips (LAR).

McCaw to play for Barbarians

RUGBY:New Zealand captain Richie McCaw will play for the Barbarians against Australia in the Olympic centenary match at Wembley on December 3rd.

McCaw, who skippered the All Blacks to Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup success with a 28-24 victory over Australia in Brisbane last weekend, will be part of a Baa-baas squad coached by the South African Jake White.

Barbarians president Micky Steele-Bodger said they had an agreement with Premier Rugby in England for the release of several players to represent them in this match and added: "Our invitations will not stop there . . . We will have a truly international side to take on Australia."

The game is to celebrate 100 years of the Olympic Games first taking place in London, and it will be the first rugby union fixture staged at the new Wembley.

Walsh voted best manager

BOXING:Billy Walsh, the head coach of the Irish Olympic boxing team, is the Philips Sports Manager of the Month for August.

Ireland won three medals in the Beijing Olympics, Kenny Egan taking silver in the light heavyweight division and light-flyweight Paddy Barnes and middleweight Darren Sutherland taking bronze.

Davydenko to fight racquet abuse

TENNIS:Russian Nikolay Davydenko said he would try not to break any racquets during his team's Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina, which starts tomorrow in Buenos Aires.

Davydenko was knocked out in the fourth round of the US Open by the qualifier Gilles Muller two weeks ago and his racquets felt the full force of his frustration.

"I hope not to break any more racquets, I have only got a few left," said the world number five, aware any public display of frustration this weekend could whip up the Argentine crowd.

"I know the Argentina crowd is very lively and gives the home team a lot of help," he said.

USA, cup holders since beating Russia in last year's final, play Spain in the other semi-final, which starts tomorrow in Madrid.