Sports digest

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

Dream comes true for Pistorius

ATHLETICS:South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius has been selected to run in the 400 metres at the World Championships starting in Daegu, South Korea, this month. Athletics South Africa said Pistorius, who runs on carbon fibre legs, had been named to compete in the 400 metres and 4x400 metres relay. Pistorius (24), who has been dubbed the Blade Runner, met the qualifying requirements when he clocked 45.07 seconds at a meeting in Lignano, Italy, last month. "I have dreamed for such a long time of competing in a major championships and this is a very proud moment in my life," Pistorius said in a statement. "It is an honour to be representing my country at such a prestigious event and I hope to do my best at the competition for South Africa."

Johnson confident Moody's injury is not serious

RUGBY: England manager Martin Johnson is confident Lewis Moody's knee injury will not prove serious enough to rule him out of the World Cup.

Moody limped out of Saturday’s 23-19 win against Wales with a recurrence of the knee ligament problem that kept him sidelined for England’s Six Nations campaign.

The England captain has had his right knee scanned and the results were yesterday being studied by the team’s medics, with a conclusion expected today.

Johnson said: “The bad news would be that he has got an eight week injury that would put him out of the World Cup. I don’t think it is going to put him out of the tournament, but we’ll see.

“It is not great that he has got an injury, but I don’t think it is on the very bad side of knee injuries.”

Wales full back Morgan Stoddart has undergone surgery on the broken left leg he suffered at Twickenham. The Scarlets back is set to miss the World Cup, which kicks off on September 9th.

Dockrell stars as Ireland qualify

CRICKET: Ireland put in their best performance of the Under-19 World Cup qualifier in the refixed match against Namibia at Coleraine yesterday to clinch a place at next year's finals in Australia, writes Emmet Riordan.

Skipper George Dockrell proved the hero of the six-wicket victory, taking three wickets for 35 runs in Namibia’s total of 245 for nine, before hitting an unbeaten 82 from 110 balls to lead his side to victory with three overs to spare.

Ireland wobbled at the top of the order and were 32 for three when Dockrell came to the wicket. The Somerset player put on 99 alongside Jason van der Merwe (72) before being joined by Shane Getkate (61 from 53 balls) in a match-winning unbeaten stand of 117.

Ireland go second in the table behind Scotland ahead of today’s final round of group games, where they take on Papua New Guinea at Eglinton. Nepal have also qualified already with five teams battling it out for the final three World Cup places.

Magee finds way back at Wembley

BADMINTON:Ireland's Chloe Magee came out on top in a tough three-setter against Indonesia's Adrianti Fridasarin in the first round of the Yonex BWF World Championship at Wembley in London yesterday.

The Raphoe player lost the first set 13-21, but battled hard, winning the second and third 24-22, 21-13.

Her second round match will be against number six seed Saine Nehwal, also of Indonesia, tomorrow.

Wallabies call up Ma'afu and Samo

RUGBY:Australia have added prop Salesi Ma'afu and number eight Radike Samo to their squad to face South Africa in the Tri-Nations following a 16-point loss against New Zealand at the weekend. The 26-man roster, which also includes secondrower Nathan Sharpe, arrived in Durban on Sunday night ahead of Saturday's match at King's Park. Australia coach Robbie Deans released lock Dan Vickerman from the squad that fell to a 30-14 loss at Eden Park in Auckland.

The Wallabies, who last won the Southern Hemisphere’s annual championship in 2001, trail the All Blacks by four points in the standings following their 12th straight loss at Eden Park.

South Africa’s preparations for the Australia match received a setback when number eight Pierre Spies pulled up with a recurrence of a groin injury at training yesterday, while utility forward Danie Rossouw was laid low with a dose of gastroenteritis.

Irish quartet bid for glory in Somerset

GOLF: Four members of the Irish team which surrendered their home international title at Harlech last week will be bidding for glory in the British Boys Championship, which begins in Somerset this morning.

Gavin Moynihan, who plays out of the Island Club, is joined by Alex Gleeson (Co Sligo), Gary Hurley (West Waterford) and Conor Glynn (Carton House).

Moynihan is in the first group out at Enmore Park playing with Daniel Hendry of United Arab Emirates and Worthing’s James Ashman.

Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy is at Co Sligo preparing to represent Ireland in the Home Internationals, which start tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Castletroy’s Chloe Ryan, the only Irish player in the Girls British Open Championship at Gullane this week, kept herself in with a good chance of qualifying for the match-play stages after a six over par 79 yesterday.