Carsley joins the injured list

Soccer: Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy last night confirmed that Blackburn's Lee Carsley has dropped out of his squad for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Estonia. The midfielder, who suffered a rib injury last week, joins Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given on the injured list.

McCarthy said that he would wait until today before deciding on replacements for the pair and insisted, despite reports in some newspapers, he had not yet opted to call up Hibernian goalkeeper Nicky Colgan.

The Drogheda born player has been in outstanding form this season with the Scottish Premier Division side, and with Alan Kelly still fighting his way back to full fitness ahead of Saturday's game in Lisbon, Colgan may yet be drafted in as cover for Dean Kiely.

"I have a lot of players fit," said McCarthy last night "and so I'll take some time to weigh everything up before making a decision. There are plenty of options, so for the moment at least, I'm not too concerned."

Cycling: In the first event of his guest slot with the professional Linda McCartney team, Mark Scanlon performed encouragingly in the Circuit Franco-Belge stage race. The former world junior champion, who was the youngest rider in the field, placed 60th, 59th, 44th and 49th on stages of the world-ranked race.

Of the 108 riders who lined out in the three day tour, Scanlon finished a solid 42nd overall in this, his first competition within the professional ranks.

Golf: Gareth Maybin, a 20-year-old student from the University of Ulster, won the 51st annual Audi sponsored Midland Scratch Cup at Carlow yesterday after the event was reduced to 54 holes due to torrential morning rain.

Maybin, from the Ballyclare club in Co Antrim, shot a three-round aggregate of 215 to win by two strokes from his Ballyclare club-mate, Johnny Foster, and Greg Bowden of Bodenstown.

Three players finished on 218 1998 winner Padraig Dooley from Cork, Waterford's Lee Dalton and Maurice Kelly from the Kileen club in Kildare.

Gary Cullen (Beaverstown), the defending champion, was in a three-way tie for the lead after Saturday's two rounds with Moriarty and Kelly. But Cullen shot an 83 in yesterday's wind and rain to blow his chances of back-to-back victories last achieved in Carlow by Padraig Harrington in 1993-'94.

Athletics: The Irish Schools Athletic Association made their annual presentation of Ideal Merit Awards to four individuals who have made a significant contribution to the development of schools athletics in the country. Honoured at the presentation in Dublin on Saturday were Marie Allen (PE teacher at Mercy Roscommon), Graham Moffett (Head of PE at Belfast Royal Academy), Edmond O'Brien (former throws judge, Mapstown, Dungarvan) and Mary Troy (Assistant Principal, Tullamore College).

Racing: Limestone Lad got his season off to a disappointing start when soundly beaten in the Junction Hurdle at a rain-lashed Mallow yesterday.

The popular eight-year-old gelding was sent off the 4 to 7 favourite for the two and a half mile event. However he failed to jump with his normal fluency for Shane McGovern, and could find nothing extra when headed two out by Bannow Bay, who went on to score by five lengths. Michael Bowe and McGovern both blamed recent schooling over fences for the jumping errors, and the gelding "may or may not" be switched to fences. He remains 6 to 1 joint favourite with Monsignor for the Royal & Sun Alliance Chase at Cheltenham next March.

Bernstein could be heading to Churchill Downs next month for the Breeders Cup Mile after returning to form in the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Home Of Champions Concorde Stakes.

The Storm Cat colt, disappointing in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York last time, dug deep in the testing ground for Seamus Heffernan to touch off Cobourg Lodge by a head, with Conormara two and a half lengths back in third.

"I would love to run him in the Breeders Cup Mile, and there is a big chance he will go there," said trainer Aidan O'Brien. The Ballydoyle trainer was completing a double having earlier taken division one of the Nenagh EBF Maiden.