A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Celtic reinstated to Europa League after Sion ejected
SOCCER: Celtic have been reinstated to the Europa League, subject to an inevitable FC Sion appeal, after the Swiss club were ejected from the competition by Uefa.
Sion defeated Celtic over two legs in a play-off but have been forced to forfeit the tie. Uefa’s judgment and Celtic’s protest relates to the fielding of five ineligible players by Sion against the Scottish club. As a consequence, Celtic have been handed two 3-0 wins for the play-off games.
A Uefa spokesperson said: “The Uefa control and disciplinary body dealt with the two protests lodged by Celtic FC against the validity of their Uefa Europa League play-off ties played against FC Sion on 18 and 25 August. The Scottish club questioned the eligibility of a number of the Sion players who participated, with the Swiss side winning 3-1 on aggregate.
“The control and disciplinary body accepted both protests and decided to award both ties to Celtic by forfeit (3-0). As a consequence, Celtic are qualified for the Uefa Europa League group stage.
Celtic said in a statement: “We are pleased by this decision, the approach which has been taken by Uefa and that Uefa rules and regulations have been upheld. We are also grateful for the support of the Scottish FA.”
Celtic will therefore take Sion’s place in Group I, which also includes Rennes, Atletico Madrid and Udinese, who lost their Champions League play-off to Arsenal.
Dilleen makes key call in Bled
ROWING: Lisa Dilleen is one of the youngest athletes still in the mix at the World Rowing Championships in Bled in Slovenia, but yesterday the 20-year-old made a key call in the semi-finals of the women’s double sculls, Liam Gorman writes.
A top three place for Dilleen and Sanita Puspure would have put them in the A Final and nailed down a place for the boat at the Olympic Games. They had a clean, impressive start but by half-way they were in fifth – Britain, New Zealand and the Czech Republic would take the A Final places.
Dilleen made the call to conserve the Ireland crew’s energy for this morning’s crucial B Final, where the top two of six book a place in London 2012. Ireland paddled home in sixth. Ireland’s first crew in action this morning will be the Adaptive Coxed Four.
The outstanding win of the day was the New Zealand double scull of Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan, who pipped Germany on the line to take gold in the men’s double scull.
Roche makes good mountain gains
CYCLING: Gaining time in advance of some big mountain stages ahead, Ireland’s Nicolas Roche got into a large breakaway group on yesterday’s 13th stage of the Vuelta a Espana and finished an excellent fifth into Ponferrada behind Swiss rider Michael Albasini, writes Shane Stokes.
Roche was pleased at the one minute 33 seconds gained by the break as it moved him from 18th to 14th overall.
“I would have liked to make the top three of the stage,” said Roche. “However I’m now about 20 seconds down from the top ten on GC.”
Race leader Bradley Wiggins is now just four seconds ahead of his closest rival and defending champion Vincenzo Nibali.
Roche is now two minutes 15 seconds back, with his first cousin Dan Martin remaining 23rd overall.
Moylette claims thrilling comeback
BOXING: European light-welterweight champion Ray Moylette came from behind to claim the vacant place on the Irish team for the AIBA World Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Azerbaijan with a thrilling victory over Ross Hickey at the National Stadium last night.
Hickey, the current Irish Elite champion and 2008 European bronze medallist was 4-3 and 9-6 up at the end of rounds one and two, but 2008 World Youth champ Moylette, from the St Anne’s BC in Mayo, turned it around in spectacular style in the third and final round to seal a 15-13 win amid an electric atmosphere at the home of Irish boxing.
“I’m not saying I proved anyone wrong, but I proved my fans and proved my supporters right,” said 21-year-old Moylette after the bout.
“They’re the people who are following me and won it in there with me. None of us would be used to boxing in that sort of atmosphere, you wouldn’t see that atmosphere in Croke Park.”
Ireland head coach Billy Walsh said: “It was a fantastic contest – one of the best I’ve seen in the Stadium in a long, long time.”
British and American crews on top
SAILING: The West Kirby Sailing Club from the Merseyside and New York Yacht Club’s Team Extreme continued to dominate the ISAF Team Racing World Championships at Schull yesterday where the 282 race round-robin phase came to an end with both squads tied with equal race wins.
A quarter-final round dominated by American and British teams begins today, but it could also include the Schull Community College side that yesterday topped the youth championship robin.
A finals round for the younger teams will result in their top three finishers being sent forward to compete in the open championship. The finals will be sailed tomorrow.
Railway fitness test for Johnston
CRICKET: Railway Union will give a late fitness test to Trent Johnston this morning as they go in search of their first Leinster League Division One title since 1962 when they take on The Hills at Park Avenue.
The Ireland international missed last week’s defeat to England and has had an injection to the knee he injured during the World Cup in March. The Sandymount club will lift the title if they win today’s encounter, but a defeat could open the way for The Hills, North County or Merrion to earn top honours. The losers of the clash between YMCA and Phoenix at Claremont Road will be relegated along with Pembroke.
Meanwhile, a club from the Northern Cricket Union will be crowned Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup champions for the first time since 1995 when Instonians and Waringstown meet tomorrow at North Down.
