A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Irish riders' debut at Paralympics
EQUESTRIAN:For the first time, Ireland will have a team in the equestrian competition at the Paralympic Games in London this summer, writes Maggie McLoone.
The FEI yesterday confirmed that Ireland were one of 11 nations to have qualified a four-rider team for the Games while, as the top-ranked teams at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, Britain, Germany and Denmark will be represented by a team of four plus one.
Canada, the top nation on the para-equestrian team ranking list for countries not otherwise qualified, have also secured five slots.
Taking individual riders into account, 23 nations will be represented and the competition, which is confined to the discipline of dressage, will run for six days in Greenwich Park (August 30th to September 4th).
Joe Walsh, chairman of Horse Sport Ireland, congratulated the Irish team on “ a hugely significant achievement”.
O'Rourke races in Linz to prepare for Istanbul
ATHLETICS: Derval O'Rourke will continue her build-up to next month's World Indoor Championships in Istanbul with another 60 metres hurdles at tonight's Linz international meeting in Austria, writes Ian O'Riordan.
O’Rourke opened her season at the Indoor Classic meeting in Vienna on Tuesday, running a satisfying 8.16 seconds to finish just short of Yvette Lewis of US, who won in 8.11.
The 2006 World Indoor champion in the hurdles described her race as “extremely rusty”, but it is a step in the right direction given O’Rourke hadn’t raced since last summer’s World Championships in Daegu, and missed a few days training last month with a calf injury.
O’Rourke will run in the National Indoor Championships in Belfast on Sunday week.
Also in action in Vienna was Claire Bergin, who ran a personal best double in the 200m of 24.50 and 400m of 54.57, to finish second and fourth respectively. Orla Drumm ran an indoor best of 4.18.61 to finish second in the women’s 1500m.
Murphy outpots Hawkins in Berlin
SNOOKER:Shaun Murphy edged past surprise Snooker Shoot-Out champion Barry Hawkins to reach the second round of the German Masters yesterday.
Murphy, the 2005 world champion and runner-up to Neil Robertson at the BGC Masters in London last month, won 5-4 in the all-English match thanks to a break of 82 in the deciding frame.
There was trouble for Murphy when he trailed Hawkins 4-3 in the event at Berlin’s Tempodrom venue.
Needing just one more frame to reach the last 16, Hawkins was at the table and ahead in the eighth, but let Murphy back in to pull level.
Having earned €38,500 for his weekend win in Blackpool, Hawkins was forced to settle for a first-round loser’s cheque for €3,725 this time as Murphy set up a meeting with Martin Gould or Ricky Walden tomorrow.
Scotland’s Stephen Maguire trounced struggling Welsh player Ryan Day 5-1 and will face John Higgins or Mark Davis in his next match.
Australia make short work of India
CRICKET: Australia continued their recent dominance over India yesterday with a resounding 31-run victory in the first Twenty20 international staged at Sydney Olympic Park.
In front of 59,659 fans – a record for a single day’s cricket in New South Wales – a hard-hitting half-century from rookie wicketkeeper Matthew Wade propelled the hosts to a competitive 171 for four after India won the toss and elected to bowl.
The tourists lost four quick wickets early in their run chase and never recovered, struggling to 140 for six to trail 1-0 in the two-match series. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni top-scored with 48 not out off 43 deliveries.
Dan Christian (two for 35) and David Hussey (two for 4) did well, while in-form veteran Brad Hogg (one for 21 off four overs) was the pick of the Australia bowlers.
Hamilton ignores rival's 'coward' jibe
MOTOR RACING: McLaren's Lewis Hamilton obeyed team orders and swerved around the wreckage of a once firm friendship after former grand prix rival Adrian Sutil yesterday accused him of cowardice.
McLaren effectively put a gag on the 2008 world champion after newspapers in Germany and Britain reported Sutil had branded Hamilton a “coward” for failing to back him in a trial that ended on Tuesday. The German was given a suspended 18-month sentence and fined €200,000 for a brawl in a Shanghai nightclub last April.
Hamilton, who had won the Chinese Grand Prix, also attended the nightclub. A Munich court found the former Force India driver guilty of injuring Eric Lux, chief executive of Renault F1 team owners Genii Capital, with a champagne glass.
The court had wanted to hear from Hamilton but he driver was excused due to team commitments ahead of yesterday’s launch of their new car in England.
