Sports digest

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

Lennon placed in Torontoevent

EQUESTRIAN: Co Down's Dermott Lennon has already been in the placings at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto where he is competing alongside the American-based pair of Shane Sweetnam and Darragh Kenny, writes Margie McLoone.

Capt David O’Brien is in action at this weekend’s three-star Rolex FEI World Cup show in Leszno, Poland, meeting up with Eddie Moloney, while Gerard Clarke travels to Montpellier as does Jessica Kürten.

Joyce marks Ireland return with 68

CRICKET: Ed Joyce celebrated his return to the Ireland fold by making 68 in a two-wicket victory over an Invitational XI in Pune, India yesterday, writes Emmet Riordan.

Ireland are in the sub-continent for a three-week training camp ahead of next year’s World Cup, an event Joyce is now eligible for after the International Cricket Council this week relaxed its four-year stand-down period for the former England player.

Kevin O’Brien proved the standout bowler in the first of three non-capped matches, taking four wickets as the local side posted a decent 257 for seven off their 45 overs.

Skipper William Porterfield and Paul Stirling got Ireland’s reply off on a sound footing before both departed in the fourties, but

Joyce’s half-century and an unbeaten 46 from Trent Johnston got them home with four balls to spare.

Pakistan board reassure Haider

CRICKET: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt have spoken to Zulqarnain Haider and assured him of their full co-operation after the wicketkeeper left the squad in Dubai and went to London where he has applied for asylum.

“I have told the PCB chairman everything and he has assured me the board will provide me all assistance and cooperation,” he said. The PCB had been trying to contact Zulqarnain since Monday when he arrived in London.

Haye wants best Harrison to show

BOXING: David Haye hopes heavy underdog Audley Harrison is at his enigmatic best on Saturday in order to give the paying public "more than a minute's worth of entertainment".

Harrison challenges huge favourite Haye for the WBA heavyweight in Manchester.

“I’m preparing for the best Audley Harrison and I want the best Audley Harrison to turn up. I really do, for the viewers, the paying public, the people watching on Sky 3D I want to give them more than a minute’s worth of entertainment.”

Roddick qualifies one more time for World Tour finale

TENNIS:ANDY Roddick has qualified for the season-ending ATP World Tour finals for the eighth consecutive year. Roddick, the last American man to win a major, at the 2003 US Open, made the finals by beating Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in the third round of the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris and after his main rival for the spot, Fernando Verdasco of Spain, lost to France's Gael Monfils.

It’s certainly an accomplishment every year,” Roddick said. “You can’t just play well for one week. It’s the culmination of doing it week after week on tour.”

Only the top eight on the ATP World Tour qualify for the season-ending tournament, which starts on November 21st in London, and was won last year by Nikolay Davydenko, who didn’t qualify this year.

Roddick will be joined by Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Robin Soderling , Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer

Meanwhile, Conor Niland nailed down a quarter-final place in the ATP Challenger Tour event in Loughborough, England yesterday.

The fifth seed defeated unseeded Briton Joshua Milton 6-1 1-6 6-1.