SPORTS DIGEST

Today's other sports stories in brief

Ireland to face Scotland in first game in South Africa

CRICKET: Ireland will need to hit the ground running in the coming World Cup qualifiers in South Africa after being drawn against old foes Scotland in the opening game on April 1st, reports Emmet Riordan.

The countries will go into the 12-team event among the favourites to claim one of the four spots available for the World Cup in 2011.

Ireland have failed to beat Scotland in three attempts in previous qualifiers, losing in the final at Castle Avenue in Clontarf four years ago.

The sides will meet at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, one of nine venues around Johannesburg that will stage the event.

Ireland will also play Namibia, Canada, Oman and Uganda in Group A, with the top four teams going on to the Super Eight stage of the competition.

Points won against fellow qualifiers are carried through to that stage, where they would play the four teams coming from Group B.

The top four sides will qualify for the World Cup, with the top two facing each other in the final at Centurion Park on April 19th.

The top six teams will secure One-Day International status until 2013 and qualify automatically for the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup.

IRELAND’S WORLD CUP QUALIFIER SCHEDULE: April 1st: v Scotland, Benoni; April 2nd: v Oman, Krugersdorp; April 4th: v Uganda, Krugersdorp; April 6th: v Canada, Benoni; April 8th: v Namibia, Wanderers Oval 2, Johannesburg. April 11th-17th: Super Eights stages. April 19th: Final, Centurion.

Deignan finishes in main bunch

CYCLING:Philip Deignan finished in the first half of the 114-man main bunch on yesterday's second stage of the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia, crossing the line in 34th place, reports Shane Stokes.

The Letterkenny rider came home in the same time as the bunch sprint victor, Mattia Gavazzi of the Diquigiovanni team. Nolan Hoffman (South Africa National Team) was second into Melaka with Aurélien Clerc (AG2R La Mondiale) third.

Gavazzi also won Monday’s opening stage and, thanks to the time bonuses, pulls further ahead in the overall classification. He ended the day 10 seconds ahead of Hoffman and a further one second up on Alexandr Pliuschin.

Deignan is 27th overall, 20 seconds back. His Cervélo squad is eighth in the rankings.

The 2.HC race again finishes in Melaka today, looping on a flat, 186-kilometre course.

Kim looks to get off the mark

GOLF: After a disappointing start to his European Tour career in Shanghai, Anthony Kim will be looking for better fortune when he tees it up at the Maybank Malaysian Open this week.

The American became a full Tour member late last year, but has yet to get off the mark after being disqualified from the season-opening HSBC Champions in November for playing with an altered driver after accidentally tapping it on a sprinkler head.

As the highest ranked player at the Malaysian Open, the world number 11 refuses to see himself as the favourite at Saujana Golf Country Club.

“I don’t know if I am the man to beat,” said the 23-year-old. “I just heard that Thongchai Jaidee (of Thailand) has won this event a few times and there are definitely a lot of guys on the European Tour who have a lot of game, and I have to set my game up to play at the that level.”

Award for Scannell

MANAGER OF THE MONTH: Mark Scannell, the coach of the Team Montenotte Hotel Cork women's basketball team, has been named the Philips Manager of the Month for January.

The Cork side won the Superleague National Cup on January 25th when they beat Waterford Wildcats 79-70 in the final. This was their third consecutive title success.

In the semi-finals, Montenotte beat DCU Mercy in a 78-77 double overtime win.