SPORTS DIGEST:MOTOR SPORT: Kimi Raikkonen's Formula One comeback picked up speed yesterday when the Finn got back behind the wheel of a two-year-old Renault Grand Prix car at the Valencia circuit in eastern Spain.
The “Iceman”, 2007 world champion with Ferrari and winner of 18 races in his time with the Italian team and McLaren, is returning to Formula One this season after two years in the world rally championship. Lotus, formerly Renault, said in a statement the 32-year-old aimed to drive as many laps as possible in the two days in Valencia to get acquainted with his new team and re-acclimatise himself with a Formula One car.
“It was nice to get back in the car,” said Raikkonen, who will be one of six champions on the grid this season. “It was quite a few years since I have driven last time, so it takes a little while to get used to it.”
Dwyer lands hat-trick in Florida
EQUESTRIAN SPORT: Co Kilkenny-born James Dwyer brought off a weekend hat-trick when winning Sunday's freestyle competition at the para-dressage show in Wellington, Florida, writes MARGIE McLOONE.
Riding his Dutch-bred gelding Orlando to an Irish melody, the Mooncoin native scored 74.333 per cent which left him a long way ahead of the USA’s Mary Jordan and Sebastian (68.583). Dwyer, who has been based in the US for the past eight years, will compete at one more show in Florida before returning to Pennsylvania for training. At the end of March, he and Orlando will travel to Europe for three shows with the aim of making the Irish team for the Paralympics in London at the end of August.
Jayawardene back in lead role
CRICKET:Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan has resigned from the captaincy and former skipper Mahela Jayawardene has been reappointed to the role.
Dilshan quit a day after returning from South Africa where Sri Lanka lost the three-match Test series 2-1 and five-match one-day series 3-2. Jayawardene has previously captained the team for more than three years from 2006.
Banahan and Armitage with Saxons
RUGBY:Matt Banahan and Delon Armitage feature in the England Saxons' 25-man training squad named for Saturday's clash with Irish Wolfhounds in Exeter.
Winger Banahan and fullback Armitage played in last year’s World Cup but must content themselves with a place among the second string, along with winger Ugo Monye and backrower Thomas Waldrom. Centre Matt Hopper, scrumhalf Paul Hodgson, prop Rupert Harden, lock Ed Slater and flanker Kearnan Myall are new additions to the squad.
ENGLAND SAXONS SQUAD: Backs: N Abendanon (Bath), D Armitage (London Irish), M Banahan (Bath), F Burns (Gloucester), M Hopper (Harlequins), P Hodgson (London Irish), R Lamb (Northampton), J May (Gloucester), U Monye (Harlequins), B Twelvetrees (Leicester), M Young (Leicester). Forwards: C Brooker (Harlequins), P Doran-Jones (Northampton), M Garvey (London Irish), J Gaskell (Sale), J Gray (Harlequins), R Harden (Gloucester), T Johnson (Exeter), M Mullan (Worcester), K Myall (Sale), G Robson (Harlequins), A Saull (Saracens), E Slater (Leicester), T Waldrom (Leicester), N Wood (Gloucester).
