Sports Digest

A round-up of today's other sports news in brief

Killester looking to atone for last season's defeat

BASKETBALL: UCC Demons will be looking to defend their National Cup title this weekend when they face the 2008 winners Killester, while Team Montenotte Hotel Cork and DCU Mercy are expected to produce another thrilling contest in the women’s final.

Killester will be desperate to atone for last season, where they suffered defeat in the cup and league final to their opponents on Sunday, according to forward Michael Westbrooks. “We are very excited to be back in a final,” said Westbrooks. “We were hoping Demons would get back there because we do want to make up for the heartache caused last season.”

UCC Demons are on the back of league defeats to Neptune and UL Eagles respectively but Westbrooks believes that will have no bearing come tip off on Sunday.

“The results mean absolutely nothing,” added Westbrooks. “It’s a different game, a different atmosphere and players won’t be thinking how they got on in their last game. Our first goal this season was to get back to a cup final, we had a couple of bad results before Christmas but we have turned it around and we can’t wait to face Demons.”

In the women’s decider, Team Montenotte Hotel Cork are bidding for four in a row cup titles against a DCU Mercy outfit, who are looking forward to their first experience of the biggest day of Irish basketball.

The side’s last meeting in the cup saw Montenotte edging out Mercy by 78-77 in double overtime.

Schumacher return still irks

MOTOR SPORT: Mercedes are not a proper Formula One manufacturer and Michael Schumacher has only returned to racing thanks to Ferrari, the Italian team’s president Luca di Montezemolo said yesterday.

Schumacher, who has turned his back on his former team to come out of retirement with Mercedes, was not mentioned at the launch of Ferraris 2010 car but Montezemolo failed to dodge questions afterwards.

“Let’s not talk about Schumacher,” Montezemolo said before being drawn into the differences between glamour team Ferrari and the new Mercedes outfit which bought world champions and former Honda-branded Brawn. “I have great respect for Mercedes. I have said and I repeat its good to see their full involvement in Formula One. But it’s a different involvement to us,” he said in a building on Piazza Michael Schumacher in Ferrari’s spiritual home in north Italy.

Ireland give Archbold winning start

SOCCER: The Irish Under-18 Schools team defeated Australia 3-1 in a friendly at Oscar Traynor Road in Dublin yesterday. New Ireland manager Dave Archbold gave all 20 players a run-out with a view to preparing the squad for their Centenary Shield tilt which begins on St Patrick’s Day against Northern Ireland.

Ireland took a 22nd-minute lead when striker Daragh Walshe headed home. Australia equalised when Thomas McNeish beat goalkeeper Marty McGinty with a low drive, but Ireland regained the lead when Horgan converted Tom O’Halloran’s left-wing centre into the top corner. Marwan Azimi scored after he curled a 25-yard shot past Marc Villaescusa in the visitors’ goal to make it 3-1.

IRELAND: M McGinty (Deele College); B Nolan (St Paul's CC), J Dwane (St Peter's College), T Boyle (Salesian College), N Murphy (Coláiste Rís); D Horgan (St Enda's College, Galway), B O'Mahony (Summerhill College), S Skelly (St Joseph's Fairview), T O'Halloran (Athlone CC); D Walshe (St Kieran's College), B Lane (Presentation College, Athenry). Subs: M Azimi (Pobalscoil Rosmini) for Lane, N Cooney (Templeogue College) for Dawne, G Shaw (Patrician SS) for Walshe, S Chambers (St Fintan's) for O'Mahoney, J Byrne (De La Salle) for McGinty (all h/t), S McInerney (Athlone CC) for Nolan (50 mins), J Tim Murphy (St Peter's College, Wexford) for O'Halloran, A Hanlon (Arklow CC) for Horgan (both 58 mins), J Carroll (Confey CC, Leixlip) for Murphy (69 mins).

Referee: Phil Cashera.

Grewcock gets seven-week ban

RUGBY: Bath lock Danny Grewcock was yesterday suspended for seven weeks after being found guilty of stamping on Ulster flanker Stephen Ferris in last weekend’s Heineken Cup tie at The Rec.

Grewcock was sent off in the 32nd minute of Bath’s defeat after referee Jerome Garces saw the former England international stamp on Ferris’ arm.

Independent judicial officer Jean-Noel Courard suspended Grewcock until March 13th.

O'Sullivan races into last eight

SNOOKER: World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan raced into the last eight of the totesport.com Welsh Open with a crushing 5-0 second-round victory over Jamie Cope yesterday.

O’Sullivan needed just 55 minutes to see off the challenge of the error-prone Cope, who had chances in the match but failed to capitalise on a couple of solid breaks.

O’Sullivan will now meet world number 11 Mark Allen, who ended the hopes of home favourite Matthew Stevens with a 5-2 victory.

Scotland’s Stephen Maguire also progressed to the quarter-finals as he swept aside Barry Hawkins 5-1.

No moves to alter ski venue

WINTER OLYMPICS: There are no plans to relocate the snowboard and freestyle skiing competitions at next month’s Vancouver Olympics despite concerns about insufficient snow at the venue, organizers said yesterday.

Weather and snow conditions at Cypress Mountain, just north of Vancouver, have become a bit of public relations problem for organizers as the February 12th start of the Winter Olympics on Canada’s Pacific Coast nears.

“We have no intention from moving from that venue,” Tim Gayda, the Vancouver Organising Committees (VANOC) vice president for sport, told reporters.

“Things are well at Cypress and we have things in hand,” he said.

Crews have begun to moving snow that was stockpiled at higher elevations, and are using straw to help rebuild a snow base that was melted down by unseasonably warm temperatures in mid January.

No significant natural snowfall is expected between now and the start of the Winter Games.