Sports digest

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

Three Pakistani players charged with taking bribes

CRICKET:Pakistan's former test captain Salman Butt and his two opening bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were charged with taking bribes by British prosecutors yesterday.

News of the decision comes a day before they learn in Qatar whether an independent tribunal set up by cricket’s governing body, the ICC, has found them guilty of corruption. Possible punishment include life bans.

Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the trio, along with sports agent Mazhar Majeed from Croydon, England, had been charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and with conspiracy to cheat.

“These charges relate to allegations that Mr Majeed accepted money from a third party to arrange for the players to bowl ‘no balls’ on 26 and 27 August 2010, during Pakistan’s fourth Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London,” said Simon Clements, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime Division.

McLaren unveil new car in Berlin

MOTOR SPORT: McLaren pieced together their sleek new Formula One car bit by bit at a public launch yesterday but made sure their secrets stayed well out of sight of curious rivals.

The last of the big teams to roll out their 2011 car, the Mercedes-powered team took the show to the fans with the silver racer assembled in front of a crowd of fans in the Potsdamer Platz near the old Berlin Wall.

Wheels, pieces of bodywork and even the steering wheel were carried through the crowd by team members before being attached in near silence before a final blast of wheel guns completed the task with a flourish.

However the engine and exhausts on display were only fake parts and team bosses recognised that the car they would race in the season-opener in Bahrain on March 13 would look very different.

There were no wraps for 2008 and 2009 champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button to take off the car, and yet the MP4-26 remained shrouded in secrecy even if the sidepods – with the air intakes sculpted in the shape of an L and a J – were distinctive.

The car had been eagerly awaited, particularly by rivals curious to see whether the 2010 runners-up had something revolutionary up their sleeves to match Renaults innovative forward-facing exhausts.

“Be warned, you haven’t seen it all,” team principal Martin Whitmarsh told reporters with a smile. “Quite naturally, we havent shown you or our competitors our full hand today.”

Even an engineering novice could see that the exhausts on display were temporary.

“It won’t come as any surprise or shock that the exhaust solution on the car today is not what we intend to be testing or racing,” declared engineering director Tim Goss.

“There will be some other solutions appearing on other cars, and on our cars as well.

“I’ve been here since 2007 and every year the car always looks beautiful...to really see it come out as a whole, I think it looks fantastic,” said Lewis Hamilton.

Dominant Dundalk Colleges ease into the last four

COLLEGES GAA: Dundalk Colleges 4-7, Coláiste Iosagáin 1-5

Dundalk Colleges advanced to the semi-final of this year’s Leinster Colleges ‘A’ SFC with a comfortable win over a limited Coláiste Íosagáin side from Portarlington at Lakepoint Park in Mullingar yesterday.

With the teams level at just a point apiece midway through the half, Shane Thornton forced the ball to the net from close range when the losers’ defence failed to clear a Sean McAuley free. Four more unanswered points left Dundalk ahead by 1-5 to 0-1 at the interval.

Coláiste Íosagáin got a major boost within three minutes of the resumption when Richard Reynolds superbly converted a penalty kick.. However, a great individual goal from Conal McKeever soon widened the gap in Dundalk’s favour. Patrick Reilly and Ciaran Byrne added further goals for Dundalk.

DUNDALK COLLEGES: C Taaffe; K Lenehan, D Smith, R Williams; J Thornton, D McMahon, S McAuley; P Reilly (1-0), J Stewart: K Hearty, A Murray (0-1), G Traynor; C Byrne (1-5, four frees), S Thornton (1-0), C McKeever (1-0). Subs: A Sharkey (0-1) (for Traynor, inj, 27), C Doyle (for Murray, 44), R Quigley (for Hearty, 60).

COLÁISTE ÍOSAGÁIN: T Brereton (0-1); J Hyland, H Weldon, S McGrath; R Reynolds (1-0, pen), B Crombie, D Barron; K McGrath (0-1, free), K Bracken; C Murphy, E Finlay, R Galvin; S Lawless (0-1), S McCauley (0-2, one free), P Cunningham. Subs: B Sweeney (for Finlay, 45), D O’Connor (for Murphy, 47), M O’Reilly (for Barron, 59).

Referee: M McAdden (Westmeath).

Hurley seals victory for 14-man St Mary's, Edenderry

COLLEGES GAA: St Mary's, Edenderry 1-7 Good Counsel 0-9

A pointed close-range free in the fifth minute of injury time from St Mary’s full forward Ciarán Hurley gave the 14-man Edenderry side a dramatic victory over Good Counsel, New Ross in a tremendous Leinster Colleges SFC A quarter-final at Tinryland, Carlow yesterday.

Hurley’s point was the only score registered by the Offaly side in the second half, after they had played with the aid of the wind in the opening half.

Good Counsel, who trailed 1-6 to 0-5 at half time, slowly dragged themselves level with points from Tony French, Darren Foley, Padraig Conway and Ciarán Butler. But when St Mary’s, inspired by outstanding full back Thomas Hickey, were awarded that vital late free, Hurley delivered.

Seán Haslim scored the game’s only goal in the 11th minute. That put St Mary’s 1-1 to 0-3 ahead.

Mary’s were reduced to 14 men on 49 minutes when centre back Eoin Farrell received a second yellow card.

ST MARY’S: C Cummins; E Holton, T Hickey, C McNamee; L Pender, E Farrell, P Foy; D Grehan, D Flynn; S Haslim (1-1), C Nolan, S Doyle (0-2); G Leech, C Hurley (0-4, frees), H Morrin. Subs: D Cummins for Pender (48); G Blong for Doyle (55 mins).

Good Counsel: T Aylward; S Doyle, C Foran, P Cody; G Foley, J Tubritt (0-2, frees), K Burke; C Butler (0-1), S O’Gorman; R Tubrid, T French (0-2), P Curtis (0-1); G Foxe (0-1), D Foley (0-1), N Colfer. Subs: M Mansfield for Tubrid (inj 33), P Conway (0-1, free) for Mansfield (inj 36); D Doyle for S Doyle (58).