A round-up of today's other sports news in brief ...
Nations Cup Team Start In Belgium
EQUESTRIAN: Ireland fields its first NationsCup team of the European season at Lummen today with Denis Lynch, Cian O’Connor, Billy Twomey and David Simpson all having tested the conditions at the Belgian showgrounds yesterday, writes Margie McLoone.
Dave Quigley, Tom Davin and Shane Breen compete at three-star level in Maubeuge, France, while two-star jumping events start today in Athens, where former Army rider Gerry Flynn is in action, and at the Italian venues of Pontedera (Declan McEvoy and Mark McAuley) and Busto Arsizio (Niall Talbot).
Ireland’s first-ever vaulter, French-based Charlotte Rimaud, competes at Ermelo in The Netherlands this weekend with Maoir de Cavilly.
Back home, 76 horses have been declared for the second qualifier in the ShowjumpingIreland premier Grand Prix series which takes place Coilog Equestrian tomorrow.
Sunday’s Thomastown show has been cancelled due to the run of bad weather.
Higgins Stamps His Authority
SNOOKER: John Higgins swept into a 6-2 lead over struggling Mark Allen as the pair began their battle for a place in the final of the Betfred.com World Championship.
The 33-year-old Scot dominated the first of the four sessions, making a break of 114 in the sixth frame on his way to gaining a comfortable overnight lead.
Higgins won the final three frames of the session as shock semi-finalist Allen struggled with almost every aspect of his game.
The consolation for the 23-year-old Northern Irishman, who knocked out pre-tournament favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan in the second round, is that there are three sessions of the first-to-17-frames match remaining and he has time to recover.
Shaun Murphy (Eng) and Neil Robertson (Aus) were on 2-2.
Benefits For Teams Willing To Work Under Cost Cap
MOTOR SPORT: Formula One teams agreeing to race under a strict cost cap of €44.7 million in 2010 will be allowed to use a Kers system twice as powerful as that used by rivals on unlimited budgets.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) say that capped teams would be allowed a maximum 120 kilowatts of power output, compared to 60kw (about 80 horsepower) for others, and 800 kilojoules of energy released per lap against 400 for the rest.
The Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (Kers) introduced this season currently offer drivers a boost at the push of a button for a maximum of 6.7 seconds.
Less than two months after divorcing his wife of 25 years, Bernie Ecclestone is already thinking about women. And if anyone is dreaming of finding a place in the 78-year-old billionaire’s affections she should be black, Jewish and capable of driving very quickly.
“Personally I don’t really mind who comes in,” the commercial brains behind Formula One was quoted as saying when questioned on the future of the sport. “But if I had a choice I think that Formula One needs a black, Jewish woman who, if possible, wins some races too.” The remarks, made during a dinner for local motorsport journalists in Barcelona, were apparently said in jest. Later in the conversation, Ecclestone said he would “prefer Formula One to be surrounded by controversy all the time. I like it to be more volatile than football.”
