Sports digest

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

McCarthy gets two-week ban for high tackle on Clerc

RUGBY:Connacht's Mike McCarthy has been suspended for two weeks after his high tackle on Toulouse wing Vincent Clerc during last weekend's Heineken Cup defeat at the Sportsgrounds.

Though he can appeal, the ban will keep him out of action until Thursday, December 8th, meaning he will miss the visits of Ospreys and Benetton Treviso to the Sportsground, but will return in time to be selected for the Heineken Cup clash with Gloucester at the Galway venue on Saturday, December 10th.

The flanker was yellow-carded for the offence which contravened Law 10.4 and he pleaded guilty in front of a disciplinary hearing after being cited by commissioner Bruce Reece-Russel (England).

Law 10.4 relates to a tackle above the shoulders even if it starts below them. McCarthy argued the tackle was not worthy of a red card but the citing was upheld by judicial officer Roger Morris (Wales) yesterday, who determined it was at the lower end of the scale for an offence of its type.

Contador will have to sweat it out

CYCLING: Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador, whose hearing over a failed dope test before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) will end today, will not know his fate before the end of the year, sport's highest court confirmed yesterday.

The 28-year-old Contador tested positive for the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour de France but was cleared by the Spanish federation (RFEC) last February, only for the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) to appeal against the decision to the Cas.

If found guilty, Contador, who said contaminated meat was responsible for the failed test, could face a two-year ban and be stripped of his 2010 Tour title.

The Saxo Bank rider could also lose all the titles he has collected since he was cleared by the RFEC, including the second Giro d’Italia title he won this year.

Westwood has change of heart

GOLF: Britain's world number three Lee Westwood has had a change of heart and rejoined the PGA Tour for the 2012 season.

Westwood, who last year questioned the need to play some of the events in the States, will split his time between the European Tour and the US circuit. “It just felt right in Ryder Cup year to commit to a full programme in the United States,” Westwood said.

Westwood’s return also means he will be back at the Players Championship after upsetting the host last year by skipping the event.

The Englishman will also take part in the PGA Tour’s season-ending play-offs, the FedEx Cup, for the first time, as he commits to more tournaments in the States ahead of the Ryder Cup in September in Illinois.

“I missed The Players Championship last year when watching it on television.

“It was always a scheduling issue for me.”

Kubica to miss start of season

FORMULA ONE: Renault's Robert Kubica will miss the start of the 2012 Formula One season after the Polish driver conceded yesterday he would not be fully recovered from a near-fatal rally accident in February.

Renault said in a statement that they remained committed to helping the driver return and were already in contract talks for 2013.

However, despite taking on an intensive training programme, the 26-year-old’s future remains in the balance after he missed all of this season and spent two months in hospital immediately following the crash in Italy.

The Pole had been tipped for greatness and a possible move to Ferrari alongside his friend Fernando Alonso before suffering arm and leg injuries that almost severed his hand.

“Even if I’ve been working very, very hard over the course of the last few weeks, I came to the conclusion that I am not yet certain to be ready for the 2012 season.” Kubica said.

Mullings vows to prove his innocence

ATHLETICS: Jamaican sprinter Steve Mullings is determined to prove his "innocence to the world" following a life ban for a second doping offence. The 28-year-old tested positive for the banned diuretic furosemide, which can act as a masking agent for other drugs.

He previously served a two-year ban after testing positive for excessive levels of testosterone in 2004. “Myself and my attorneys are focusing our time and energy on proving my innocence to the world,” Mullings said.

The sixth fastest man of all time over 100m is expected to appeal against the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), after Jamaica’s anti-doping disciplinary panel imposed the life-long ban.

“I am extremely disappointed in the decision made by the panel on Monday afternoon,” he told BBC Sport. “I am unable to comment any further on this matter.”

His attorney, Alando Terrelonge, said the decision was unfair based on the evidence presented to the panel.