Sports Digest

A round-up of other world news in brief

Barkley disappointed to miss out on Cook Cup Test

RUGBY: Olly Barkley broke from the party line yesterday and revealed he has no chance of forcing his way into England’s Test team for Saturday’s Cook Cup showdown with Australia.

England manager Martin Johnson has insisted from the outset of this five-match Antipodean tour Test selection is wide open and every member of the 44-man squad has an equal chance.

But Barkley goes into today’s clash with the Australian Barbarians in the knowledge that Shontayne Hape has already been lined up to start against the Wallabies.

“The Test team is the one you all want to be in and I’m not going to lie, I’m disappointed not to be in the side,” said Barkley. “The Test side is organised for Saturday and to play two games of Test match intensity from Tuesday to Saturday is not overly realistic at this stage of the season.”

Harlequins flanker Chris Robshaw captains England in Perth today and he is joined in the pack by four uncapped players – Dave Attwood, Geoff Parling, Hendrie Fourie and Dan Ward-Smith.

Chamney bound for Barcelona

ATHLETICS: Thomas Chamney ran 3.39.02 in the 1,500 metres at Friday’s Bislett Games in Oslo to finish fourth.The time is 1.98 seconds inside the qualification standard for this year’s European Championship in Barcelona at the end of July and places him eighth in the European rankings this season for the distance. His next race is an 800 metres grand prix in Turin when he takes on the world’s second fastest man this year, Khamis Kaki of Sudan.

Hutchinson claims Isle of Man win

MOTOR SPORT: Ian Hutchinson won the first Supersport race at the Isle of Man TT races by just over three seconds as the lap record fell in perfect racing conditions.

The Padgetts Honda ace held off the challenge of Wilson Craig Honda’s Guy Martin, with Michael Dunlop down in third.

Keith Amor was fourth, with his 126.909mph the fastest average speed for a lap in the event – the best of a number of riders to break the previous record – while Manxman Daniel Kneen claimed an impressive fifth place.

Contador stays clear of crash

CYCLING: Alberto Contador avoided a multi-rider crash to finish safely in the pack and retain his lead after the first stage of the Criterium du Dauphine yesterday.

The twice Tour de France champion, winner of Sunday’s prologue, avoided the trouble 12 kilometres from the finish.

Spain’s Haimar Zubeldia was one of some 50 riders who crashed. He broke his arm, an injury that is likely to rule the RadioShack rider out of next month’s Tour de France.

“He sustained a fractured radius,” RadioShack sports director Alain Gallopin said later.

Slovenia’s Grega Bole won a sprint to claim the stage victory, the Lampre rider edging out Slovakian Peter Velits and Briton Geraint Thomas.

Blakeney helps Roma clinch title win

HOCKEY: Peter Blakeney became one of a rare few in world sport as he became a national champion in three different countries as he helped HC de Sisti Roma to the Italian Serie A title, adding to prior victories in Australia with the West Australia Thundersticks and in Ireland with Three Rock Rovers in 2008.

The Dubliner played a key role in his club’s 2-1 win over HC Bra on Sunday to hand his club their sixth national title, registering the assist for Luca Settimi’s 57th minute winner. Blakeney agreed to join the Italian club in the spring for the second half of their season on a semi-professional basis.

Blakeney was cheered on in the final by Roma’s favourite son, Francesco Totti, whose football club is an affiliate of the hockey club.

He becomes the first Irish hockey player to achieve the feat of three national titles in different countries despite the Irish ably picking up titles in Europe in the past decade.

Stephen Butler, Graham Shaw and Joe Brennan helped Antwerp’s Dragons to the Belgian league as well as helping Glenanne to Irish senior and club championship success, while Ireland captain Ronan Gormley was part of Club de Campo’s Spanish Cup-winning side, having already won many medals with Pembroke.

Wales call up Gough for duty

RUGBY: Wales have called up lock Ian Gough to their squad for the two-Test tour of New Zealand after flanker Sam Warburton was ruled out with a fractured jaw.

Warburton suffered the injury early in the 34-31 defeat by South Africa in Cardiff on Saturday. He played on before being withdrawn with a dead leg late in the game.

“A scan after the game revealed a fracture to Sam’s jaw which will prevent him from playing for at least a four-week period,” Wales team physio Mark Davies said in a WRU statement.

“He picked up the injury in the first half, but was able to continue to play a part in the game and actually made no mention of it himself until after the final whistle. A closer inspection later on revealed the full extent of the problem.”

Gough, the experienced 33-year-old Ospreys secondrow, has already won 63 caps for his country, making his debut against South Africa in 1998. Wales face the All Blacks in Dunedin on June 19th, and in Hamilton again one week later.