Sports Digest

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

Dolan books final place in style

ROWING: Sarah Dolan of Trinity, Peter Hanily of UCC and Paul O’Donovan of Skibbereen all hit the heights at the National Rowing Trials at the National Rowing Centre in Cork, writes Liam Gorman.

Limerickman Hanily showed the benefit of his move to Cork when he booked an A final place by placing third in the semi-final of the men’s single scull. Mark O’Donovan and Niall Kenny filled the top two spots – but current international Justin Ryan, who finished a close-up fourth, was added to today’s final line-up because he was adjudged to have been badly affected by the wash from the launches.

O’Donovan – who is a junior – will also be in that final after his remarkable third-place finish in his semi-final, which ranked him at 95.9 per cent of projected world gold medal winning time. Dolan, outdid him by reaching the women’s final with a 96.3 per cent rating.

Shoulder injury forces West to retire

CRICKET: Ireland left-arm spinner Regan West has been forced to retire from the sport due to a serious shoulder injury, writes Emmet Riordan

The 31-year-old New Zealand-born player has undergone three operations on his left shoulder joint and rotator cuff but a fear that continued bowling could lead to further damage has forced his decision to retire.

Having made his debut against Kenya in August 2008, West would go on to make 38 appearances in just over a year, taking a fine haul of 56 wickets at a good average of 25.38. Included in those were two five-wicket hauls.

“I’m pretty gutted with the outcome really,” admitted West. “At the beginning it wasn’t a case of if I would bowl again, it was just how long it would take to recover. My left shoulder is not in good shape, so the recommendation that I shouldn’t bowl again didn’t come as a surprise but it is still very disappointing.”

Back injury forces Perry to bow out

SQUASH: Madeline Perry’s hopes of a fifth title at the Cannon Kirk Homes Irish Open ended last night when a back injury forced her to concede the semi-final against Jaclyn Hawkes when she trailed by two games, writes Mary Hannigan.

Perry, the top seed, struggled with injury throughout the match, but fought back to save two game balls when she fell 10-9 behind in the opener. Hawkes, though, seized her third opportunity to take the game. And, despite Perry saving four game balls, the New Zealander also took the second game, 11-8.

After a break, the Banbridge player, unable to continue, came on court to concede the match.

Hawkes will meet Nour El Tayeb in today’s final (4pm) after the Egyptian player beat number two seed Vanessa Atkinson (Netherlands) in a five game match.

Taylor to face German champion in Youghal bout

BOXING: World and European lightweight champ Katie Taylor has been lined up for another fight in Cork next month.

The Wicklow woman meets Jennifer Miranda at the Royal Hotel in her home town of Bray next Friday. And then she’ll face German champ Maike Klueners at the Walter Raleigh Hotel in Youghal on a St John’s Boxing Club-hosted show on May 6th.

Klueners reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 AIBA World Women’s Championships in Barbados – where Taylor won her third gold on the trot – at featherweight and is ranked number eight in the world.

European Union and Irish Elite champion Con Sheehan and Irish Elite welterweight champion Adam Nolan, a club-mate of Taylor’s at the Bray BC, will also be trading leather on Leeside.

Riverstown BC ace David Roche will also be in action. Roche claimed bronze at Pavlyukov Memorial Youth Multi-Nations in Russia last month following a thrilling win over Cuban champ Yoangel Moyagibert.

The Bray and Cork shows are part of Taylor’s build up toward her European Union title defence in Poland next month. However, the big one this year is the European Championships in the Netherlands in October. All eyes will then begin to focus on the 2012 Women’s World Championships and only Olympic qualifiers in China in May next year.

Meanwhile, the National Senior Cadet Championships continue at the National Stadium in Dublin.