SPORTS DIGEST

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

Sabathia set to sign record deal

BASEBALL: CC Sabathia has agreed to join the New York Yankees for what is expected to be the richest contract signed by a pitcher, Major League Baseball said yesterday.

The report said the agreement came after the Yankees added another season and €15 million to the offer they made the player last month, bringing the package to €122 million over seven years.

The deal, though, has still to be finalised and the team has yet to make an official announcement.

If it goes through it will eclipse the record six-year, €105 million deal agreed between the New York Mets and Johan Santana last year.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman held talks with 2007 American League (AL) Cy Young Award winner Sabathia at this week's baseball winter meetings in Las Vegas. Cashman then travelled to the San Francisco area to meet the pitcher and his family. The 28-year-old free agent is a 6ft 7in left-hander.

Lewsey ends his England Career

RUGBY: Josh Lewsey brought the curtain down on his England career yesterday and then set his sights on the one prize to have eluded him - being part of a victorious Lions team.

Lewsey (32) was convinced to retire from England duty after 55 caps when a conversation with manager Martin Johnson confirmed his chances of a recall were slim. Rather than holding tackle bags at England training sessions through the Six Nations, Lewsey preferred to dedicate all his efforts towards resurrecting Wasps' troubled season.

And his ultimate ambition is to complete the full set of honours by adding a Lions' series victory over South Africa to World Cup, Grand Slam, Heineken Cup and Guinness Premiership winners' medals.

Clare duo available but Gilligan has yet to decide

GAELIC GAMES:Clare's long-serving stars Colin Lynch and Alan Markham have confirmed that they will be available to manager Mike McNamara in 2009 but Niall Gilligan has yet to decide on his intercounty future.

Kilmaley club-mates Lynch and Markham have already embarked on their own personal fitness regimes but Gilligan has decided to wait until the New Year before making a decision.

Frank Lohan announced his retirement shortly after Clare's exit from the 2008 championship but the return of Lynch and Markham for next season is a massive fillip for McNamara.

Midfielder Lynch, now 35, was in good form last season and scored three points from play during the Munster final against Tipperary, despite the Banner County's defeat.

Lynch has kept himself in good shape during the off-season and in recent times, he has dedicated himself to a stretching regime and other fitness techniques which have prolonged his career.

Sources close to the 1997 All-Ireland medallist have reported that Lynch has never felt in better shape and is relishing the prospect of another intercounty campaign, having first linked up with the Clare senior panel in 1995.

Markham is also raring to gobut whether the 1997 All-Ireland winner Gilligan will be part of the set-up remains to be seen.

The Sixmilebridge clubman said: "I'm in two minds at the moment. I haven't my mind fully made up."

St Joseph's ease past Coláiste Íosagáin

St Joseph's 3-9 Coláiste Íosagáin 2-4

GAELIC GAMES: Winners of the Leinster Colleges All-Ireland B football title last year Coláiste Íosagáin, Portarlington, found the step up a little too much when they opened their campaign at Portarlington yesterday.

The opening 15 minutes were very evenly contested and indeed the home team looked the more likely winners and they opened the scoring with a point by Michael Brereton.

After St Joseph's, Rochfordbridge, drew level they took over and entering the second quarter took the lead with a well taken goal by full forward Wayne Fox and added a point from a free by Clive Kiernan.

But a great Portarlington move ended with Kevin McGrath kicking the ball from the ground into the far corner of the net.

Five minutes before the break the visitors scored a second goal with Kiernan applying the finishing touch and at the interval the visitors led 3-5 to 1-2 - the third and killer blow again completed by Fox.

The second half was closely contested but the visitors never relaxed and ran out comfortable winners by eight points and the home team added just a goal and two points.

Scorers:St Joseph's: Wayne Fox 2-1, Clive Kiernan 1-2, Jason Cully 0-3, Eoin Gorman 0-2, Paul Lewis 0-1;

Coláiste Íosagáin:Kevin McGrath 1-1, Shane McCauley 1-1, JC Ratiff and Michael Brereton 0-1 each.

ST JOSEPH'S:P Coates; S Hannon, M Gorman, E Rigney; S Deegan, P Carey, S Brogan; P Lewis, C Flynn; C Kiernan, J Cully, E Gorman; C Boyle, W Fox, M Conroy. Subs: D Hickey for C Kiernan, P Rabbitte for E Gorman, D Coyne for C Boyle, S Cooney for W Fox.

COLÁISTE ÍOSAGÁIN:P Bannon; D Galvin, E Lyons, S Hoey; S Murphy, K Bracken, C Kavanagh; A Ryan, J C Ratiff; M Brereton, S McCauley, E Gleeson; P Cunningham, K Hunt, K McGrath. Subs: C McCauley for K Hunt, R Galvin for J C Ratiff, C Mulhall for E Gavin.

Referee:Alan Largue (Kildare).