Sports Digest

A round-up of today's other sports news in brief

Splaine calls in O’Connor

EQUESTRIAN:Cian O'Connor, who was competing in Mullingar last weekend, is on his travels again and joins the squad named yesterday by Horse Sport Ireland team manager Robert Splaine for the third round of Meydan Nations' Cup series in St Gallen on Friday.

O’Connor, very much on form at the five-star show in Madrid last month, has been selected with Stephen O’Connor and Castlemartin Stud’s Complete, while the Army Equitation School’s Captain David O’Brien has his first 2009 call-up with the Cruising mare mare Mo Chroi.

Also named by Splaine are Denis Lynch (Lantinus), Shane Sweetnam (Amaretto d’Arco or Rolette) and Billy Twomey (Je t’Aime Flamenco or KEC Maximum Joe).

Ireland finished equal sixth in last Friday’s Italian leg of the Medyan series in Rome having failed to qualify for the second round of jumping when the 2009 league opened at La Baule earlier in the month.

Death of Rev Ronnie Craig

RUGBY:The death has occurred in Belfast of former Ireland rugby international, the Reverend Ronnie Craig, at the age of 93.

The former Presbyterian Moderator was the oldest surviving Ireland international player, having won two caps against Scotland and Wales in 1938.

The outbreak of the Second World War prevented him from adding to those appearances.

He played his club rugby with Queen’s University, NIFC and Armagh and was also a very talented cricket player with the Woodvale club in Belfast.

Cheika gets his award

RUGBY:Michael Cheika has been named Philips Sports Manager of the Month for May.

Early last month Leinster defeated Munster in the Heineken Cup semi-final at Croke Park and, on May 24th, Cheika’s side defeated Leicester 19-16 in front of 66,000 spectators at Murrayfield to become champions of Europe for the first time.

Lakers looking for redemption

BASKETBALL:Tiger Woods can be forgiven for having split loyalties for the best-of-seven NBA finals starting tomorrow between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic (live on Setanta Ireland from 2am Friday).

As a native Californian, he supported the Lakers, but he now lives in Orlando.

“I’m really torn about the NBA finals,” Woods said yesterday. “I grew up a die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan but I have season tickets to Orlando Magic games. Hopefully, it will be a great series.”

Humiliated after losing last year’s to the Boston Celtics, the Lakers are looking for redemption.

“Redemption, we use that word all the time,” Lakers All-Star guard Kobe Bryant said this week. “It’s tough for a team that goes to the NBA Finals to get back there the next year. We managed to do it somehow and now we’ve just got to make the most of it.”

Lakers coach Phil Jackson is bidding for a record 10th title.

Millar may challenge ban

CYCLING:Drug abuser turned anti-doping campaigner David Millar hopes for a "second chance" and has hinted he is ready to challenge the British Olympic Association ruling which bans him from competing in the London Games in 2012.

The 32-year-old Scot served a two-year suspension between 2004 and 2006 after admitting to taking EPO.

“At the moment it (the Olympics) is impossible, but we’ll see what happens,” said Millar. “We’ll go another year or so and see if I should take action or not.”

Munster’s Carney to return to league

RUGBY LEAGUE:Former Wigan and Britain winger Brian Carney is to make a shock return to Super League after agreeing terms with Warrington.

Carney, who will turn 33 next month, has not played league since winning the last of his 14 British caps in the 2006 Tri-Nations series in Australia and New Zealand.

He has spent the last two years in rugby union with Munster but is to link up with the Wolves when his contract with the IRFU officially expires at the end of the month.

Radcliffe named in Britain’s squad for Berlin worlds

ATHLETICS:Defending marathon champion Paula Radcliffe has been selected by UK Athletics (UKA) for the World Championships in Berlin in August.

The world record holder over 26.2 miles picked up her first gold medal at a global championships in Helsinki in 2005, but has been dogged by injuries since returning to the sport following the birth of her daughter in 2007.

Radcliffe could only finish 23rd at the Beijing Olympics after rushing her recovery from a stress fracture and missed the London Marathon in April due to a toe injury.

The 35-year-old’s selection was based on her victory in last November’s New York Marathon, and UKA head coach Charles van Commenee admitted her participation is not a certainty.

“As has been widely publicised, Paula has recently undergone an operation and is hoping to be fully fit for Berlin,” he said.

“She is an athlete of huge calibre and she will know if she is in shape to be competitive at the World Championships. We are happy to back her all the way.”

Mara Yamauchi (35), will also compete in the marathon and will have high hopes of pushing for a medal after her brilliant performance in London.

She was an impressive sixth in Beijing, and finished second in April in a personal best of two hours, 23 minutes and 56 seconds.

Van Commenee added: “We have selected a small but high-quality team.”