McEniff checks on Canavan

Peter Canavan may have retired from top-class football, but he could still be part of Ulster's Railway Cup challenge. Manager Brian McEniff is trying to persuade the former Tyrone star to join his squad for the interprovincial semi-final against Munster next weekend.

McEniff, who has appointed Armagh attacker Steven McDonnell as his captain, is trying to patch together a squad in the face of multiple cases of unavailability.

Eleven of the province's top players are in Australia with the International Rules squad, others are injured, and some are involved in county and provincial club championships. McEniff is hoping Canavan will answer the call, but injury has cast a doubt over the Errigal Ciarán man's participation in the game at Crossmaglen on Sunday week.

"Peter would have a lot to offer by being in the squad," said McEniff. "I have spoken to him, but he has a hip problem at the moment, so we will have to wait and see how he is."

McEniff has been forced to offer a chance to fringe players to help him retain the title won in Paris last year.

"Apart from the loss of 11 Ulster players to the Australian trip, there are other ongoing problems, such as injuries to Paul McGrane, Kieran McGeeney's unavailability, Enda McGinley's injury . . . Enda Muldoon's suspension and the unavailability of other players for various reasons, whether it's county championship or Ulster club championship.

"Monaghan have gone to America for nine days, which adds another problem, and they're only coming back two days before the game."

ATHLETICS: World marathon champion Paula Radcliffe has pulled out of today's National Road Relays in Birmingham on medical grounds. The 31-year-old has been suffering from a cold, the onset of which contributed to her moderate time in the Run London Nike 10km last weekend. Radcliffe is set to compete at the Chiba Ekiden Road Relays in Japan next month.

DRUGS IN SPORT: Chinese runner Sun Yingjie has been stripped of her silver medal in the women's 10,000 metres at China's 10th National Games after testing positive for the steroid androsterone, officials said yesterday. "Sun tested positive for the banned agent androsterone in doping tests conducted after the women's 10,000 metres final on Monday night," said Guo Jianjun, deputy secretary general of the Games' organising committee. Sun and her coach said they were innocent of any wrongdoing in the first doping case reported at the Games in Nanjing.

TENNIS: Female models are once again engaged in tennis ball-collecting duties at this week's Madrid Masters, but organisers say their male counterparts will take charge when the women's Tour Championships are held in the Spanish capital next year.

Organisers say the publicity stunt has been so successful they will use male models when the top eight women players gather in Madrid for the WTA Tour Championships between November 7th-12th next year.