Sports Digest

A roundup of today's other sports news in brief

Pirelli to be sole tyre supplier for F1

MOTOR SPORT: Pirelli will replace Bridgestone as Formula One’s sole tyre supplier for three years, from 2011, the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said yesterday.

“The sole supplier will undertake to strictly respect the sporting and technical regulations implemented by the FIA,” it added in a statement after a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Geneva.

Japan’s Bridgestone had announced last year they would quit the sport at the end of the season.

Italy’s Pirelli and French company Michelin, who were involved in the sport until the end of 2006 but did not want to be sole suppliers, had been the frontrunners to take over, with Cooper/Avon also interested.

However, the majority of the teams favoured the Italian company who last supplied F1 with tyres in the 1990s.

Pirelli said it did not expect the decision to impact on its financial targets.

Five Irish boxing for bronze at least

BOXING:Ireland's young boxers will be aiming for at least five bronze medals at the European Junior Championships in the Ukraine today. Dylan Carr and Robert McGreevey joined Dean Walsh, Declan Carlin and George Boylan in the quarter-finals following last 16 wins in the city of Lvov yesterday.

Carr, from the Ryston club in Kildare, beat Israeli lightweight Evgeny Blyznuk 6-4 and Sacred Heart prospect McGreevey ousted Azerbaijani light-welter Sagi Salehli on a countback following a 1-1 tie.

Ireland are using an eight-man squad at the 30-nation tournament and team manager Dan Lane said they were delighted with their performances. “The squad’s confidence is growing all week and they are boxing very well,” he said.

Miyazato in pole position

GOLF: Japan's Ai Miyazato begins today's second women's major of the year, the LPGA Championship, as favourite after becoming the world number one.

Miyazato (25) supplanted South Korea’s Jiyai Shin, who returns to action in Pittsford, in New York state, after missing the last two tournaments.

Shin had surgery on June 9th to remove her appendix after being taken ill.

Haddin forced to miss Test series against Pakistan

CRICKET: Brad Haddin is to sit out Australia’s two-match Test series against Pakistan because of an elbow injury.

The wicketkeeper has failed a fitness test and will be replaced by Tim Paine.

But fast bowler Ben Hilfenhaus will play after being named in the Australia squad for the series, which takes place in England for security reasons.

The 27-year-old, the leading wicket-taker for Australia in the 2009 Ashes series, has been out of action after suffering knee tendinitis.

Also in the squad is paceman Mitchell Johnson and uncapped batsman Usman Khawaja.

The two-Test series against Pakistan begins on July 13th at Lord’s.

Haddin said he hoped to be back in action for the tour of India in October.