A round-up of other sports stories in brief...
Basso apologises for Giro protest
CYCLING: Former Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso has apologised for Sunday’s protest which turned the ninth stage of this year’s race into a farce.
After the stage had started, riders said the course around Milan city centre was too dangerous, so it was agreed that the times would not count towards the overall classification. However, some riders were unhappy with the protests which were headed by race leader Danilo Di Luca, accompanied by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. “No one is especially guilty for what happened, we need to say sorry and that’s that,” Liquigas rider and 2006 winner Basso said yesterday.
After yesterday’s rest day the three-week Giro restarts today with a mountain stage from Cuneo to Pinerolo.
The Milan crowds reacted angrily to the protest and Giro chiefs have not ruled out sanctions against the peloton.
Holder Maguire makes early exit
GOLF: Victoria Bradshaw from Bangor caused a major upset at the Lancome Irish Close by defeating reigning champion Leona Maguire from Slieve Russell in the second round at Fota Island yesterday.
Bradshaw, a teenager herself at 19, was up in the match from early on, but the competitive nature of Maguire ensured the match was all square playing the 18th. It took a second tie hole for Bradshaw to win with a birdie.
Meanwhile, Lisa Maguire will take on Catherine Tucker from Limerick in today’s quarter-final. Lisa beat past champion Karen Delaney 5 and 4 while Tucker beat Birr’s Patrice Delaney by one hole.
Long hitter Laura McCarthy, who defeated Sue Phillips, will now tee up against Bradshaw this morning.
Karen O’Neill from Douglas knocked out 2004 champion Deirdre Smith from Co Louth 4 and 3.
Johnson wins after play-off
GOLF: Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson rolled in a 12-foot birdie-putt to win the first sudden-death play-off hole against compatriot James Driscoll, and successfully defend his Texas Open title in San Antonio on Sunday.
Johnson, tied with Driscoll on 265 after 72 holes at LaCantera Golf Club’s Resort Course, set up the win with a six-iron approach to the 18th green.
Driscoll missed a birdie putt 25 feet from the hole.
Sharapova returns to action with a victory
TENNIS: Former world number one Maria Sharapova made a successful return to action from long-term injury with a 6-1 6-7 6-3 victory over Italian Tathiana Garbin in the first round of the Warsaw Open yesterday.
Sharapova had not played singles since last August because of a shoulder injury although she made a brief return to competition in the doubles at Indian Wells in March, losing in the first round.
The Russian seemed in control of the game against Garbin, breezing through the first set and going 4-0 up in the second. But she wasted a match point at 5-3 and lost the tiebreak 6-8.
In the third set, Sharapova was 3-1 down but regained her composure and took the match with a five-game winning streak for victory in just over two and a half hours.
“I was nervous closing that second set because I had not played for a long time,” Sharapova told a news conference, at which she sat with ice on her shoulder.
