A roundup of today's other sports news in brief
Harlequins act on ‘Bloodgate’
HARLEQUINS CHIEF executive Mark Evans revealed the club will introduce a “whistle-blowing policy” to ensure there is no repeat of the “Bloodgate” scandal.
Harlequins were found guilty of faking a blood injury in last season’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster.
Dean Richards, who has stood down as director of rugby, received a three-year suspension and the club were hit with a £260,000 fine. Tom Williams, the player who was tasked with faking a cut to his mouth, had his 12-month ban reduced to four months after changing his evidence at the appeal hearing.
The club’s review is still ongoing but Evans confirmed the doctor will no longer report to the director of rugby or head coach, a role currently filled by John Kingston.
Evans said he was “surprised” to learn from Monday’s appeal hearing that the club had been involved in four previous incidents of faking injuries. The RFU are still awaiting details of those matches before launching their own investigation.
Ireland beaten by Georgia
BASKETBALL: The Irish senior women produced a superb display to claim an 82-66 win away to Slovenia in their European qualifier.
The result means Ireland’s hopes of reaching the play-offs are firmly intact.
“It was a complete team display,” said head coach Mark Scannall. “Our veterans were excellent but our younger players really stepped up to the mark and they deserve huge credit for their role in this win.
“It was hard to take the defeat against Montenegro but this is the perfect response and we can now look forward to the game with Switzerland with our hopes still alive.
“We had a height advantage over the Slovenian team and that was certainly in sharp contrast to last Saturday (Montenegro) and we really made it count.
Ireland’s senior men lost 98-73 to Georgia in their Division B qualifier.
Mullins’ Sesenta takes Ebor in thrilling finish
RACING: Not content with taking all before him at the Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins landed the totesport Ebor at York yesterday with the diminutive mare Sesenta in a thrilling finish from red-hot favourite Changingoftheguard.
Mullins has changed the face of Irish National Hunt racing in recent years and has emerged as the only serious threat to the domination of Paul Nicholls in the winter game.
However, now he has shown he can adapt his talents to the Flat there will be more than a few trainers looking nervously over their shoulder. Sesenta, standing at only 15 hands high, was sent off a largely unconsidered 25 to 1 chance in the hands of one of Ireland’s rising stars, apprentice Gary Carroll.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Changingoftheguard was a 15 to 8 chance but was slowly away under Johnny Murtagh who decided to take the brave route up the inside.
Carroll then got Sesenta into the clear down the outside and she held off the late and desperate challenge of Changingoftheguardby a head.
Deignan confirmed for Tour of Spain
CYCLING: Philip Deignan is looking forward to this year’s Vuelta a España, following confirmation from his Cervélo Test Team that he has been selected.
The Letterkenny rider’s 10th-place overall finish in the recent Vuelta a Burgos sealed his place and he will line out at the race start in Essen, the Netherlands on August 29th.
“The news that I was selected wasn’t a huge surprise. I was on the shortlist and my form has been really good during the last few races. I am fairly fresh and you have to be fresh going into a race like the Vuelta,” Deignan said.
Deignan will line out in the three-day Tour of Ireland tomorrow. Paídi O’Brien will miss the race because of a hand injury.
- THE FUNERAL of international rider Paul Healion will take place today. The mass will be held at 11am in St Peter and Paul church in Dunboyne. He was tragically killed in a car crash on Sunday.
Quigley makes semi-finals
BOXING: IRISH welterweight Jason Quigley claimed a bronze medal – at least – at the European Youth Championships in Szczecin, Poland last night.
The Donegal teenager from the Finn Valley club beat Turkey’s Muratcan Bugra Oner 4-3 to march into today’s 69Kg semi-final where he’ll meet Dgaba Hospitashil of Georgia. Quigley is the only Irish boxer from a squad of seven left in the tournament.
Meanwhile, two Olympic medallists, three European Union champions and nine reigning national champions have been named in an 11-man Irish panel for the World Senior Boxing Championships in Milan on September 1st. Olympic silver and bronze medallists Ken Egan and Paddy Barnes, as well as David Oliver Joyce, Darren O’Neill and Con Sheehan, have been selected.
