Sports Digest

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

Lambe aims to cap mixed season with triumph in Russia

A topsy-turvy season could end with glory this weekend for Dubliner Claire Lambe. The 22-year-old lightweight single sculler is the top medal hope in an Ireland team of four crews for the World University Championships in Kazan, Russia.

Lambe’s sights at the beginning of the year were on the Olympic Games. The lightweight double which she formed with Siobhán McCrohan carried high expectations – but they slipped away when McCrohan was effectively cut from the system because of problems making the weight.

Lambe continued on in the lightweight single and prospered: she took fourth at the World Under-23 Championships and 11th at the senior World Championships for non-Olympic events. A top-two finish in this morning’s heat will send her directly to Sunday’s A Final.

Ireland has a men's and women's four who will target places in the A final at least. The women's crew is an all-Queen's unit, while the men's boat has three of the crew which finished 11th at the World Under-23s. – LIAM GORMAN

Hamilton feels no need to say sorry to Button over tweet

Lewis Hamilton felt no need to seek out Jenson Button to apologise for his Belgian GP Twitter gaffe and said he had learned from the experience, would not be repeating the error and had moved on.

The 2008 Formula One world champion caused a furore in Spa last weekend when he tweeted confidential qualifying data to nearly a million followers – including members of rival teams. He subsequently deleted the Tweet at McLaren’s request.

Button, whose car’s performance was also highlighted on the telemetry, won the race at Spa but said afterwards he was “disappointed” with his team-mate. “I haven’t spoken to him, don’t plan to, moved on from it,” said Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix.

Stubington topping dressage in Poland

Ireland lead the team competition at the halfway stage of dressage at the junior European eventing championships in Strzegom, Poland, with Lucca Stubington topping the individual scoreboard.

The Co Antrim rider partnered her mother Georgia’s 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Kilminchy Condor to a penalty score of 44, ahead of Germany’s Pauline Knorr on Abke’s Boy (44.60), with three riders next on 45.60.

Ireland’s second team rider, Co Kerry’s Katie Moffatt, received a mark of 46 for her work with the skewbald gelding Pick And Mix II to finish sixth while, competing as an individual, Ian Cassells from Newcastle, Co Dublin, was in joint 13th position overnight with Woodend Garfield (52.30).

Team riders Tori Dixon (Shadow Light) and Harold Megahey (Chuckelberry) compete at 9.49am and 2.05pm respectively today with individual Jodie O’Keeffe (Kachemire le Beau) scheduled to ride her test at 11.41am.

At home, the ShowJumpingIreland national horse championships begin this morning at the Ennis showgrounds. – MARGIE McLOONE

Roche looking to make last chance for stage victory pay

Nicolas Roche’s final overall performance in the Tour of Spain will boil down to his performance on tomorrow’s Bola del Mundo climb, but the Irish rider has said he’d look out for opportunities on today’s third-last stage, a 178.4 kilometre race to La Lastrilla.

A bunch sprint is the most likely outcome but he recognises it is his last chance to chase a stage win, and the undulating terrain could lead to splits.

He rolled across the finish line yesterday in the same group as stage winner Daniele Bennati (Radioshack-Nissan), and remained 12th overall.

Roche is 16 minutes 22 seconds behind race leader Alberto Contador, and two minutes 12 seconds off 10th overall. He’s uncertain if he can make up the time to get back into the top 10, but intends to try.

Meanwhile Ireland's top stage race for women gets under way on Sunday with the first stage of the five-day An Post Rás na mBan. A good overseas contingent is travelling for the event, including two teams from the Netherlands, several from Britain and a Danish junior team. – SHANE STOKES

Porterfield, Rankin help land title win

Ireland skipper William Porterfield and opening bowler Boyd Rankin will arrive in Sri Lanka today for the World Twenty20 finals with a spring in their step after becoming the first two Irishmen to claim County Championship winner’s medals in the modern era after Warwickshire wrapped up the first division title at New Road yesterday.

The late Dermott Monteith played one game for Middlesex during their title win in 1982, but Porterfield and Rankin have played key roles for the Edgbaston-based side throughout the summer.

Porterfield scored 482 runs at an average of 24.1, while Rankin took 16 wickets despite missing much of the summer with a foot injury. Rankin took two wickets yesterday as Warwickshire bowled Worcestershire out for 209 to complete an innings and 202 runs victory.

Meanwhile, Ireland A lost their final fixture of the summer by 285 runs against Sussex seconds at Blackstone CC after being bowled out for 261 in their second innings. – EMMET RIORDAN